A Different Path
by Caprilyeous
Summary: In the beginning of 7th year Harry finds his life has been manipulated for "the greater good." Someone intervenes to set him back on the path he should be on and he finds him self in Forks. The prophesy is so much more than he was ever told!
1. Who are You?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters in this story; they belong to J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer. Also, I don't make money for this; I do this solely for pleasure!  
**Rating:** PG13 or a very soft R…  
**A/N:** So, I have been tossing around the idea for this story for a while and finally decided to put it in written(well typed) word. I have fiddled around with Canon for both series to achieve my goals for this piece. By the way, Illyantia is pronounced: eel-ee-yun-tee-aa…if you were wondering. Reviews will be greatly appreciated! Enjoy!

**Prologue**

My life has never and will never be what you would call normal. From the moment of my eleventh birthday, my life has been a continuous hurricane of adventure, scandal, danger, betrayal and death. My parents were taken from me before long shortly after my first birthday and in that moment I was marked for a future that I had no say in. I live in constant danger of death, my family and friends must always be on their guard for fear of attack because of me. The wizarding world chooses to revere me one day as their savior, the next I am nothing but a danger to the innocent lives I put at risk simply by being near them. The most evil and feared dark wizard the magical world has ever known has made it his personal goal to see to my death. I have seen more than enough death to last a lifetime; and I have felt the heartache and loneliness of the betrayal of those I thought loved me…

And of course, there is the prophesy; it was the trigger that started my life's downfall before I have even been born. The prophesy proclaims that I am the only one who can defeat him; it must be me to take the reins in a war that began years before I was even a gleam in my father's eye. Am I angry? Yes! Am I afraid? Bloody hell, yes! Am I determined? Yes! No matter what has been done to me in my life, no matter who I once called friend and now label as my enemy, I am only one to rid the world of this madness.

Until recently, this prophesy has been told me only in part; lies of omission and half-truths. These lies were told to keep me subservient to those who serve the greater good. My childhood was orchestrated to bend me into the perfect savior, the perfect little weapon; to be used and then cast aside once I had fulfilled me purpose. However, someone intervened; someone helped me find my ultimate purpose. This purpose was one that no one ever saw coming, least of all me.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**Chapter 1: Who are you? **

**Harry's POV**

It was a day like any other… or so I thought. I was out in the quidditch pitch practicing with the Gryffindor team; we were training for the upcoming first game of the year. Ron, the team's captain, was berating me for some made up offense and was, as usual, acting like a child.

For the first five years of our friendship, we were best mates. We told each other everything; we leaned on one another in our times of need. We were brothers, if not by blood, than by choice and nothing would tear us apart. However, at the end of our fifth year we found something that could rip us apart forever; the death of Ginevra Molly Weasley, his sister. The events of that night were at times like a dream or rather a nightmare…

I had been having dreams for months about a mysterious door and was determined to find out what it meant. When my final dream came it showed my godfather, Sirius Black, being tortured within the Department of Mysteries. With my friends in tow, we flew to the Ministry of Magic and once there we found ourselves in the Hall of Prophesies. One was labeled with my name, in the fight the orb was shattered sending out only a wisp of the prophesy, just enough to know it was important. That night the battle took the life of Ginny and severed my relationship with the Weasley family permanently.

Afterwards, I had not only lost a friend and a family I loved, the public and the Ministry tried to place the blame of Ginny's death at my feet. But, in the end, Dumbledore convinced those he needed to of my innocence. He made it a point of explaining the effort he had to go to, to save me. He, after much hearing me speak of the prophesy, told me that he had been the one to hear it. He explained the prophesy and my expected role to play in it. He spoke in that belying sweet grandfatherly voice, but the meaning behind it was clear. I was not to undermine the work he had put into me, I was there to achieve his goals of the greater good for wizard kind. That was when I began to see Dumbledore for what he really was; a manipulative old man who used me, at whatever the costs to my life, to win the war.

I had been cleared of Ginny's death, however the public saw what they chose to see and with the help of the Weasley's, they still slander me with causing her death. That summer was the worst of my life. I spent it locked away in my room at the Dursley's, reading the Daily Prophet each day as it cried out for me to be sent to Azkaban for life. My friendship with Hermione at first withheld the pressure from the Weasley's, but in the end it collapsed under the weight. My only relief was in the daily letters from Sirius and Remus, my godfathers. They kept me sane and voiced their support of me to anyone who would listen.

When I returned to Hogwarts for my sixth year, I found a school against me. Save a few who braved the masses to be my friend. It was in this year that Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood became two of my closest friends. They stood up to Ron, Hermione and anyone who continuously lashed out at me, making me truly grateful to have them as my friends. However through this, they became labeled the same as me, outcasts and found few who stayed friends with them in the face of the angry student population. It was also in this year where my school nemesis, Draco Malfoy, became my best mate. With his father's imprisonment in Azkaban, Voldemort chose Draco to kill Dumbledore and reclaim the honor to the Malfoy name. A few months into the school year, he decided to go to Dumbledore for help and changed sides. The truce we called then slowly changed into a friendship. One night he helped defend me against Ron and a couple of his cronies, who decided to teach me a lesson. At that moment, he became my brother and my best friend.

The three of them became something I depended on, a strength that held me up when I so wanted to fall. They gave me hope, when the world turned against me and I loved them for it. The loss of my two best friends left an ache within me, that at times threatened to over take me, but they were there. Always there.

Now, I stood surrounded by my teammates who didn't like me and I confess, I wasn't too fond of them either. They were busy heckling me for many things, taking pleasure in Ron's and tirade. So, as it happened, no one was paying attention as the first hex came flying out of the Forbidden Forest. The hex, a particularly nasty one that cut deep into the victims flesh, hit one of the chasers. He fell to the ground with a blood curdling scream, dark red blood sprayed from the gaping wounds on his chest. We all turned in horror as he quickly bled to death; a final scream ripping through the air, breaking the spell that held us frozen in shock. I turned and from the forest tree line I saw dozens of Death Eaters emerge as they began sending curses at us.

We all ran to nearby cover as I quickly produced a Patronus and sent a message to Dumbledore for aid. It seemed like we battled for hours, sending hexes and curses sailing through the air, as we fought for our lives. As we did so, Ron still found the time to blame me and accuse me of taking another child from his parents. Sometime later, probably not more than a few minutes, Order members began to appear. Dumbledore, Sirius, Remus, Draco, Shacklebolt, Moody and many others, fought alongside us. Then one of the Death Eaters found a way to sneak behind our cover and with an Avada Kedavra, the killing curse was sent to kill me.

The green light quickly traveled towards me, as if in slow motion, those around me watched on in horror as it came closer and closer, coming to end my life. My eyes opened wide in fear as I realized it was all about it end, I was leaving them all, taking with me their hope of a better future. Then a burst of silver surrounded me, protecting me from the curse that rebounded off of the shield and trekked back to the sender, the life in his eyes receding from them. I stood within the shield transfixed by it, knowing I had not created it and that it was nothing like I had ever seen before. Those around me were shielded as well, as it stood between us and the band of Death Eaters beyond. They stared at me in shock, trying to work out what exactly they were looking at. Dumbledore and Sirius walked closer to me, testing the shield, which sent a spark to the hand of anyone who touched it. They stepped back a bit and I tried to reach my hand through the shield, but it was like a solid wall, trapping me within it.

"Harry, did you create this?" Dumbledore asked with puzzled look on his aged face.

Shaking my head, I looked to Sirius and said "What happening?"

As I spoke, there was another flash of silver light and we all watched as an ethereally beautiful woman appeared within the shield. Her long white blonde hair swayed from a breeze that no one else felt. Her eyes, which were like strange swirling silver orbs, stared at me. She wore a long flowing gown of white that trailed well past her feet and lay spread on the grass below. The pale alabaster color of her skin seemed to nearly glow in the sunlight, shinning like beacon in the night.

"Hello, Harry." She said her voice a soft caress to my shattered nerves and her captivating smile a balm to my war weary soul. She made me feel content and at peaceful, secure in her presence. I couldn't explain it, but I trusted her, something telling me she was here to help me.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I am Illyantia, I am the Guardian of Lost Souls. Yours called out to me just before you were to die." She gave a reassuring smile and continued. "You have lost your way; this is not how your life was to end. You have not yet fulfilled all you need to do before you die and I am here to set you back on the true path."

Those that stood beyond the shield watched on in suspicion and wonder, all hearing the words she spoke.

"And how, may I ask, are you going to set him back on the true path?" Dumbledore questioned in a quiet, but commanding voice, staring at the woman who endangered all he had done for the greater good.

Illyantia turned from me and looked at Dumbledore with barely suppressed fury. "Do not speak to me in such a way Wizard! I am Illyantia, the Guardian of Lost Souls and Keeper of the Light. I command the four elements and have seen and done more than you could ever possibly imagine. I know who you are and what you have done!"

I stood as my jaw fell to the ground below me, never had I seen anyone speak to Dumbledore in such a way. He command respect and attention, leaving fear and dread for those who were his enemies. But, this woman, was fearsome and magnificent in her glory.

"What do you mean?" I questioned a sneaking suspicion this was about me

"I speak of the prophesy, little one." Illyantia explained. "He did not give you the entire telling of it, he told you ask much as he thought was necessary and nothing more. The seer who foretold this prophesy was with him when she did so and since that night years ago, he has manipulated all around him to get the results he needed… at great cost to your life and the entire magical world."

"Do you know the entire Prophesy?" Sirius asked gruffly, a threatening scowl thrown towards Dumbledore.

She nodded and closed her eyes, a voice not of her own, came forth a spoke.

_"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies._

_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches … He shall be taken in by the dead, delivered from a life of pain … And he will find his soul's mate, seven times his power will increase … And they that walk of the living dead have travelled for one hundred years, they return to land of Quileute … And he shall be marked by one of their own, but he will not turn … The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches."_

___There was a huge part of the prophesy that Dumbledore left out and I don't exactly know what it all meant, but obviously its significant. I glared at the man who was my mentor for so long, betrayal coursing through every atom in my body. My soul's mate? Finding my soul's mate would increase my power seven times and he neglected to tell me!_

_"__You lying, manipulative bastard! What have you done?!" Yelled Sirius in rage._

___Sirius started towards Dumbledore, but was stopped by an arm wrapping around his waist from behind. Remus , who had an equally furious expression on his face, held him close. "We need to find out how we fix this, Sirius… Calm down, it will be alright." _

___I looked at my godfathers as they tried to hold back the anger over Dumbledore's mistreatment of me; it was clear as day on their faces they would like nothing better than to tear him limb from limb. Turning to Illyantia, I asked, "How do I fix this?"_

___She gave me a sad smile and said, "I cannot take you back to the time your true path and the one you travel on now diverged, but I can take you to where the paths will merge and right the wrong that has been done."_

___I frowned, knowing once again my life way about to change. I hoped it was for the better; after all I was going to find my soul's mate, it couldn't be that bad, right? I nodded and then turned to my godfathers and said, "I love you, please stay safe…"_

___They nodded at me, tears in their eyes as they held one another close. I loved them so much and now someone else they loved was going to be taken from them again. _

___I saw Draco standing a little further back and caught his eye, "Train for what's coming and prepare Neville and Luna too. Stay together, and protect each other, I love you guys!"_

___Draco nodded, he eyes showing rarely seen emotion in the normally stoic face. Looking around and saw the faces of my friends, family and those who fell in between enemy and acquaintances. I didn't know if it was the last time I would see any of them, but I remembered their faces as if for the last time. Turning back to Illyantia, I nodded. _

_"__Do not worry, he will be safe. He will not be found until he is ready to face what needs to be done." She said to those around us and then turning to me she held out her hand for me to take a hold of. "You need not fear what is coming; he needs you as much as you need him!"_

___Nodded as I took her hand and said, "Okay, are we… wait… what?! HIM?!"_

___She smirked as a chuckled escaped her lips and then in a flash we were gone._


	2. Where the Hell am I?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or Twilight books or movies (they belong to J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer.) Also, I don't make any profits from these stories…  
**Rating:** Pretty mild for now, PG-13  
**A/N:** Okay guys, another chapter. I am finding this new story very easy to write, hopefully that will continue. Please review, author's like to be appreciated after all!

Also, I know you want to know what I was going to doing in regards to Harry not becoming a vampire. I won't tell you everything, but rest assured, Edward and Harry will have a very **LONG** life together… Enjoy!

**Chapter 2: Where the Hell am I?**

**Edward POV**

The sunset in the evening sky faded and slowly passing from my view as the earth turned, leaving the night to play in its stead. I could hear the forest come to life, as the night dwellers came out to hunt for prey. The predators stalked those that were an easy kill and taking their sustenance from it. My senses were calling out to me, alive in the night, leading me to my next meal. I slipped through the forest, not making a sound, moving quickly in my search. I came upon a young doe, it head down as it drank from the stream at its feet. With a speed supernatural in its velocity and elegant grace, I latched onto the doe pulling it down to the earth at our feet. With a snap, I took its life before feeding on it, sucking in the sweet aromatic liquid that gave it life.

As I finished, I sat back and pondered the innate high that always followed a kill. The thrill of the hunt and the taste of the blood that journeyed through my body, sustaining me for another day… I was not born a killer, but made one and this fact haunted my waking dreams. In my time as a vampire, I have not always stayed within the "vegetarian" lifestyle my family follows. I have taken life, human life and my soul is stained forever from it. My family does not feel this guilt as much as I do; I have always felt my emotions a bit more keenly than others. However, their lives are full, the love of a mate there to keep the mind from wandering in the silence of the night. The feeling of overwhelming guilt at the monster bound within him; the monster that could break free at any moment.

I wondered if I would ever find peace within my soul. If there truly was a soul left in the shell of the man I once was. Esme, the mother anyone could ever hope for, tells me that with the bond of a mate I would finally find peace. However, my time as a vampire grows longer, the stains on my soul broaden and still my mate shows no signs of appearing. Would I ever find my mate?

I made my way back to the house, the ecstasy of my recent kill still coursing through my veins. As I passed the tree line near my family's home, I could see Alice waiting for me, a coy smile on her face.

"What did you see?" I asked, her mannerisms made it plain to see she had a recent vision and I was the subject it pertained to.

Her smile only grew wider as she looked at me, her small pixie body, nearly dancing on air as she hopped from one foot to the other in excitement. "We're going to have a visitor soon… he's special and absolutely adorable!"

I lifted an eyebrow in questioned, silently telling her to continue.

"Well… he's your mate, Edward!" She exclaimed in childlike glee, her voice steadily rising as the sentence continued.

I stared at her in wonderment and then asked, "Can I see it?"

She nodded in acceptance and pushed the vision to the forefront of her mind. Opening my mind, I sought out hers as the thoughts of my family began to seep into my mind_. _

_I saw him, a small and delicate; he seemed to be about fifteen or sixteen. He had messy midnight black hair and pale white skin. His eyes, a captivating emerald green color, swept over the field of bodies around him as he held an odd wooden stick tightly in his hand. Around him, men and women fought yelling odd Latin phrases as flashes of lights exploded from the wooden sticks held like weapons in their hands. He seemed to be searching for someone or something, as his eyes roamed the field beyond. From the corner of my sight I saw myself and my family flitting through the battle around us, making our way towards the boy. Eyes met and locked onto each other over the clashing figures around us, I ran to his side and swept him in my arms, pressing our bodies together. He lifted up on the tip of his toes and wrapped his arms around my neck as he gave me a desperate kiss and then he spoke, his voice a beautiful British accented whisper. "I don't know if I'm strong enough to do it…"_

_I looked at him and gave him a sad smile, saying, "You are the strongest person I know. Powerful beyond measure and he doesn't stand a chance against you. We are all here because of you, because we believe in you. Because we love you… and when this war is over, we will go home and make a life together. Free from prophesies and evil tyrants, just you and me. Harry and Edward!"_

_His face became alight with love and determination, nodding he gave me one last firm kiss and fell back on the flat of his feet. He looked at my family as they stood near us and with an "I love you…" he turned and headed towards a man in the distance. As Harry walked closer to the man, his snake like features contorted in rage as their eyes met and at the same moment they yelled, "Avada Kedavra!" Twin pulses a green light burst from the wooden sticks in their hands and flew towards each other…_

I gasped as the vision ended and fell to my knees, the damp grass below cushioning my fall. The tears that had fallen unnoticed while I was in the vision, gleamed in the moonlight from above. I felt Alice kneel beside me and I looked at her. With a small smile on her face and said, "I don't know exactly when, but he is coming Edward… and soon I think… Wow, he's gorgeous, you hit the jackpot!"

I chuckled and put an arm around her shoulders. Standing to our feet we walked into the house and greeted our family. They stood waiting in the dining area, even though we did not eat there, we still chose to gather at the table and speak about our day. I knew as I looked into their eyes that Alice had told them of the vision and that our family would soon be involved in a war.

They each took turns congratulating me on finally finding my mate, save Rosalie, who chose take the pessimistic route and exclaimed, "We are actually going to willingly put of lives at stake for some boy? He is a danger to all of us!"

My sire, Carlisle, held up his hand and she was silenced. Then he spoke in a clear and steady voice, "Whether he is a danger to us or not, he is Edward's mate and we must help him. I have heard of this war for some time and the true evils that are done in the name if this Lord Voldemort. Though this war has not touched us yet, there might come a day when it will. It threatens all magical beings and we must try to keep it from taking one of us. When he comes, we will do our best to help him… as Edward's mate he is now a member of this family."

We all stood in the quiet of the night, our thoughts centered on the danger coming our way. As my mind filled with the vision of the field of dead bodies, I found reassurance in the startling emerald eyes of my mate and his shy smile.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

**Harry's POV**

I felt my whole being, every tiny part, every atom that connected me. The feeling of being suspended in air, of floating overwhelmed me. My vision was limited and the only clear figure I could make out in an overwhelming field of white, was Illyantia. Her tall and slender form commanded my view and as we seemed to float in the sea of nothing, I could feel something brush every so often against my skin. With each touch came the same feeling of peace and security I felt when I first saw Illyantia. I smiled and allowed myself to close my eyes and revel in the security the feelings offered.

I had absolutely no idea where I was and why I was there, let alone that I really was as safe as I felt. However, I chose to ignore the suspicions that wanted to invade my mind. I was calm and at peace and I wanted to enjoy it for as long as I could.

Finally, I opened my eyes when a noise sounded in the distance. As if I was looking through a long tunnel, I saw the beginnings of life at its end. Images flitted across the opening, ones filled with miles of dark forest, others of a small sleepy little hamlet. The residents of tiny community interacted as a whole, as if they had known each other their entire lives; they probably had, I supposed. It looked to be similar, weather wise, to England. The gray overcast sky held a bevy of clouds and looked as if rain would begin to fall at any moment.

Illyantia, with a flourish of her hand, sent a familiar burst of silver light that encompassed us and then I found myself standing on the outskirts of the township. To my left, I saw Illyantia beside me, smiling as she looked around. Her eyes were alight as they took in the lush green vegetation, the sound of a nearby stream and the chirping of birds in the distance. It was a peaceful place.

"It is beautiful here; it would have been a wonderful place for you to grow up in." She stated, her meaning clear.

"So I would have, what was it… 'been taken in by the dead, and delivered from a life of pain?' What does that mean?" I asked her with a questioning gaze.

"Yes, in both paths you were to be sent to your relatives after your parents passing. Where you would suffer a great amount of pain and neglect; deprived of the necessities of life. At age eight, you were severely beaten by your uncle, were you not?" Illyantia questioned as she turned to him and cupped his face in her hand, a small cheerless smile on her angelic face.

"Uncle Vernon caught me stealing food one night. They hadn't fed me in four days and had given me little water. So, I picked the lock to the cupboard that closed me in and went to the kitchen to get a little bit of food… just enough to keep my belly from feeling like it would eat away at my body in its hunger." I replied.

I still remembered the beating that night as if it happened just the other day. The pain was excruciating, he had beaten me within an inch of my life. Scars from that night still litter my body. "He kept saying that he wasn't going to be burden with a freak like me anymore; that he was finally going to put me out of my misery… I remember screaming 'til my throat was hoarse, crying that I would be a good boy…"

That night I had heard several loud cracks, as my bones were snapped in two, my arms and a leg lying at awkward angles. The blood from a broken nose and many small cuts flowed from my body, seeping into the once pristine beige colored carpet below me. My aunt and cousin, awakened by my screams, came down the stairs to watch what they thought would have been the last moments of my freakish life. They had identical sneers of disdain. I felt more pain from their hatred of me, their cavalier attitude as I was beaten to death, than that of the ache in my broken body. I remembered thinking that that was it, the end to my pathetic life. It would end with me screaming in pain and begging for forgiveness, as the only family I had left watched on in glee. My pathetic existence would end and no one would miss me or even care.

"… I remember the door flying open and two police officers coming in and then the rest… I don't know… the next morning I woke up, back in my cupboard. My broken bones were mended and the cuts closed, my body was sore and covered in blood." I felt my heart race as the fear from that night took over, the terrifying knowledge that my life hadn't mattered and I was not loved; just a poor little freak, worthless in every way. "I don't know what happened in between the memories, just that when I woke up the Dursleys said I had been spared for now, but I would die without a second thought it I stole food again…"

Illyantia pulled me into a motherly hug, murmuring soothing words as the tears surged from my body. The repressed emotions from that night, which I had kept pushed to the back of my mind, came rushing forward. I cried until my body had nothing left to give, sobbing into her chest as she carded her hands through my hair, bringing comfort with every move. When I felt well enough, I leaned back and said, "What happened that night?"

"You dear headmaster had a monitoring charm on you as you grew up. He ignored the smaller beatings, the starvation and neglect. But, when faced with you untimely death, he acted and arrived to stop you from dying. However, the police had already been called as neighbors had heard the screaming. He quickly erased the memories from the men and the neighbors, healing your wounds and left." She told me, a frown on her face. "Had he not interfered, you would have been taken from them and your relatives arrested for attempted murder. Your injuries, so severe, would have needed a specialist to save your life. The doctor, who saved you, and his wife, would have quickly grown to love you and after a great deal of effort, adopted you into their family."

"I could have had a family?" I asked the pain of a life I had been denied lanced through me, my heart clenching in agony at the love I desperate craved. "Does that mean they are here? That I am going to still be a part of their family?"

She smiled and nodded, turning me towards the town and said, "Yes, they are here. You will find them and become their family, it was meant to be… only delayed. Now, I must tell you a few things. First, you cannot contact anyone from your former life. They will endanger you and themselves if they to know where you are. You do not need to fear using your magic… when you are ready and only then, you will be found, but keep your guard up. Those who find you may not be friendly. Also, I know you have nothing with you so I have arranged a place for you to live as well as the means to support yourself during your time here."

"Thank you." She seemed to know my questions before I could even ask.

"Do not fret about finding your family, they will come to you." Illyantia stated as she pressed a kiss to my forehead and added, "I would consider attending the local school… you might find it enlightening!"

Steeping back, she looked at me and with a knowing smile she said, "Enjoy the time you have here. Soon, your life and those of your new family will collide with the war. If you need me, you need only call out my name."

Then, with a flash of silver light, she was gone and a small bit of parchment floated down to the grown below. Lifting my eyebrow in puzzlement, I leaned down and picked up the paper. Written on it, was the address of my new home and where I would find the key to it. Also, there were instructions on how to access the money she had left for me. I smiled and with a laugh and began heading into town, wondering what life had in store for me.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

The first night, after finding my new home and giving it the once over, I chose to go to bed and rest up on much needed sleep. The fight at Hogwarts had really taken it out of me. That night I dreamed of my new family, though I couldn't see their faces, I could feel the love and acceptance they offered. In the dream, I tried desperately to see the face of my soul's mate, knowing it was a man made me apprehensive to say the least.

It wasn't that I was repulsed by the idea, I just had never really given thought to how my life would be, post Voldemort. Before Hogwarts, I was too young to put a great deal of effort into what I found attractive in a mate. Once I came into the wizarding world my life was far too dangerous and complicated to even think about finding someone to share my life with. For the most part, I lived my life as an asexual being, neither repulsed nor attracted to either sex. I wondered what he would look like… what we would be like together. The more I thought about it, the more I was pleased with the idea that I was soon to meet him. He was my soul's mate, the other half of me, a perfect compatible partner in every way. The next morning I awoke rested, happy and anxious to begin my life in Forks.

Late that morning, I made my way to the center of town for a bite to eat. Entering the small diner, I found nearly every eye on me. I was grateful that Illyantia had thought about everything I needed and that she had new clothes included in the items at the house. My clothes from Hogwarts would have certainly brought up more questions than I could answer.

Now, as I stood waiting for the waitress to seat me, I reviewed my clothes. I knew England and America were a tad different in apparel. As I had never had much of a fashion sense in the first place I hoped I looked alright. I wore a pair of snug dark blue jeans and a dark green long sleeved t-shirt. My usual trainers were on my feet and a black leather jacket over my shirt. My hair, in typical fashion, was an unmanageable mop of raven hair and flowed down to just above my shoulders. The thick black hideous glasses I wore as a child were now a pair of thin gold rimmed ones that gleamed in the light from the diner.

I smiled as a thirty-something woman with frizzy red hair walked up to me, gum smacking within her mouth. "Just you, honey?"

"Yes, just me." I replied and then followed her to the table.

Sitting down, I began reading the menu and after making my choice, I waited for her to return. When I heard a shuffling, I looked up and saw her smile at me. She winked at me and asked, "Made a choice, Darlin'?"

"I'll have a stack of pancakes, a fruit salad and orange juice, please."

"Sure thing!" She answered and then asked, "So, are you new in town? I haven't seen you around before."

"Yes, I just moved here."

"Oh, you must be the one who bought Chief Swan's place, happened really quickly. Seemed like one moment it was vacant, the next there was a new owner… Such a shame about the chief, being killed and all! The family just left all his things abandoning the property… I guess lucky for you, huh?"

"Guess so." I replied.

"So did you move with your family or is it just you?" She asked. I could see she was looking for a little gossip.

"Nope, just me." I said in a slightly annoyed voice.

Taking the hint she said, "Well, I'll just go put this order in for you."

For the next thirty minutes I sat and ate my meal while feeling the gaze of most of the people in the diner. Quickly finishing my meal, I paid and then headed across the street to shop for groceries and needed toiletries.

I was treated to the same inquiring looks and subtle questions about my moving to Forks. I tried to evade as much as possible, it wasn't that I was worried of being found, Illyantia had assured me I wouldn't. However, I had always been a private person and did not relish my personal life being an open book for everyone to see. After shopping, I found a secluded place and aparated back home.

Once I had put away my groceries, I proceeded to put up strong wards and anti-aparation spells to keep the unwanted out. I had been too tired last night and chided myself for the poor lack in judgement.

I spent the next few days acquainting myself with Forks, Washington. As a seventeen year old living in a house without the trappings of family, I was the talk of the community. They quietly speculated on who I was, why I was in forks and why I was alone. Whenever I was out, I felt their eyes watching me and heard their conversations between each other. They we polite, cordial, and very willing to help me whenever I was in need of something.

On the following Monday, I went to the local high school and signed up, as it happened, the new term was to began the following week. During the week, I used the time to get ready for attending public school again. I hadn't gone to public school in seven years and worried that it would be obvious to anyone who looked at me. To tell the truth, I was a bit terrified. Going to a new school, one that not only was a non-magical school, but also was in an entirely different country was daunting. But, I followed Illyantia's advice, knowing she knew things I didn't. My hope was I would find my new family quick and they would help me adjust to my new life.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

**Edward's POV**

I stood waiting near the front door, waiting on my brothers and sisters to go to school. It was another year of learning the same things we had learned long before. Some classes were nearly impossible for me pay attention, the curriculum having changed little over the years. Others provided a little more interest for me, but I still found myself counting the hours until it was over. I wondered if this year would be different.

Alice had had several more visions after the first one, the last vision was two days ago and she said that my mate, Harry, had already arrived in Forks and would be attending school with us. My anticipation at that time had grown from a manageable restlessness to a roaring anxious feeling, bursting to finally be near my mate.

In the last week and a half since news that my mate was coming, Alice had slowly told me about the few things she had seen about Harry. From what she could see, he was the leader in the war centering in the magical world. His life was filled with disappointment and betrayal; danger followed him wherever he went. My instincts flared up at those words, crying out to protect my mate and destroy those who would seek to harm him. I was angered at the life he had had to live and those who had failed to protect him.

However, I knew I had to hold back, that Harry wouldn't know we were mates and might object to my constant presence. So I promised myself, I would protect him from afar and begin to build the relationship that I longed for.

At last, my siblings arrived and we made our way to the school, all anxious to meet the new addition to our family. Alice, in barely restrained delight bounced on the back seat, in between Jasper and Emmett. They both laughed at her excitement, while Rosalie from the front seat hissed in disdain. She was always the last to except change; she felt that change often brought danger to our family. She hopefully would, after a time, come to accept Harry as my mate.

We pulled into the parking lot of the school; it was filled with old beat up trucks and economy cars. Our silver Volvo stood out against the others. Exiting the vehicle, we were about to go inside when Alice spoke.

"He's about to arrive… over there behind those trees." She said rubbing her hands together in enthusiasm.

We all looked to a spot away from the school that was fairly well covered by trees and far enough away that human eyes wouldn't see it. However, vampire eyes did not have this problem. So, when from one moment to the next, Harry appeared we all stared in shock. It was if he appeared out of nowhere. I knew he was a magical being, but never really considered what he was truly capable of.

Stealing a look out from the overgrowth of tree limbs, he then walked out and began the trek to the school. The small waif walked slowly, his gait implying reluctance to continue forward. Even far away, I could see that he was small for his age, no more than five foot three or four. His midnight black hair ruffled in the slight chilling wind that swirled around them. His pale white complexion glowed in the sunlight and was only enhanced by the dark clothes he wore on his body. Tight black jeans molded to his body like a second skin, encasing the thin, but muscular legs. He wore a dark gray hoodie over his upper body. A large messenger bag was linked on one shoulder by a large strap that glided down his torso and rested on the opposite side. He looked around nervously; I got the feeling that keeping on his guard was second nature to him.

"He's so adorable, Edward!" Alice exclaimed, her joy spreading to us all.

"He doesn't look like he much older than thirteen maybe fourteen…" Jasper mused, a frown appearing on his pale face.

It was as he drew closer that I began to hear his thoughts, but they were broken, as if the signal faded in and out.

'_**I don't want to be here… suck it up… you may not find them, otherwise…'**_

I frowned wondering who **they **were. I passed on his broken thoughts to my siblings and then said "His thoughts are strange, they faded in and out. That's never happened before."

We all looked at him as he passed, he raised his eyes to meet mine and they widened in surprise. I could hear his heart rate increase and a flush sweep over his face. He kept on walking, but his eyes stayed locked on mine. I heard him suck in a breath and exhale it. Then he caught his foot on, well nothing, and began to fall. My fast reflexes had me beside him in less than a second and I caught him. My arms wrapped around his tiny waist, out faces inches from each other. I felt a puff of air from his pouted pink lips and smelled peppermint and tea.

I smiled down at him and said, "Hello."

He had a dazed look on his face and then smiled up at me as his arms snaked around my neck. "Hi" he said his smiled growing as I pulled him closer to me. The more I held him; I found the underlying scent of lemongrass from his body. I inhaled the sweet yet tart scent and found my body reacting to the scent of its mate. It cried out for me to claim him, mark him with my scent and my bite, claiming him for the entire world to see. For them to see that he was mine and I was his.

Then, as if he could understand me thoughts, he scrambled out of my arms and inadvertently fell the rest of the way to the ground with a soft thud. His eyes wide, he pulled himself to his feet and said, "Er… thank you…" and nearly ran as he headed into the school.

I stared at him, both exhilarated and confused. My body was singing in pleasure at the touch of my mate and wanting the opportunity to repeat it. However, another part of me was surprised by his response. He had wrapped his arms around my neck and smiled up at me with ease as if it was a natural response; then the next moment he was scrambled to get out of my arms, his eyes wide in alarm as he ran away from me.

"He's gonna be a challenge!" Emmett laughed as they began to head into the school, Alice linking her arm through mine and pulling me after them.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

**Harry's POV**

That morning, after I dressed, then had a small breakfast of tea and toast, I aparated to school. I chose a spot near the school behind some over grown trees. After peeking my head out and checking to see no one was watching, I walked towards the school nervously. I had spent more than the usual amount of time getting ready to go; I wanted to make a good impression after all. I felt a nervous flutter in my stomach and tried to push it down.

I don't want to be here…

You need to do this. So, suck it up and keep walking. Illyantia said to come here, and if you don't you may not find them, otherwise.

I gave myself the best pep talk I could muster and then pressed forward. Was it going to be anything like Hogwarts? I wondered if the difference was too vast and I would sink into the void. I was fairly anti-social as it was, I didn't want to spend my days alone and drifting from class to class not talking to anyone at all.

As I neared the school, I looked up at a noise and found myself looking into the most devastating amber eyes I had ever seen. They held mine locked to them, my heart beating a mile a minute. Heat burst all over my body and I had to take a deep breath to steady myself.

I wanted to know who he was. The tall, lean, but muscular boy stared at me with a small smile on his plump lips. His alabaster skin was nearly white against his dark auburn wavy hair as it swayed in the breeze. He had to have been at least six foot two, nearly a goliath compared to me.

As I was thinking, I tripped and began falling, my face flying towards the pavement below. Then I felt arms wrap around my waist, turning me until I was face up again and in the arms of the amber eyed boy. I stared in shock at him and then a warm peaceful feeling enveloped me.

"Hello." He said with a smirk as he looked down at me.

Smiling, I put my arms around his neck and said, "Hi." The comfort in his arms was calming and I wanted to stay there forever. I wondered again who he was and if I could keep him… With that thought, I became aware of exactly what I was doing. Being held in the arms of a boy I didn't know, wrapping my arms around his neck and wishing to stay there forever. Where had all this come from? I was fine one moment and the next I'm a love sick puppy?

I quickly moved from his arms, falling to the ground and jumped to my feet. Looking at him briefly I said, "Er, thank you." I ran for my life before I did something truly horrifying.

Was he my mate? Or was he just someone I found attractive… I hadn't thought about it, but now that I was aware I had a mate somewhere out there for me, maybe my mind is unconsciously looking for suitable candidates.

Whatever the cause of my reaction to the amber eyed boy, I needed to take this slow and hopefully whoever my mate was; he would find me like Illyantia said.


	3. What's a Wizard to Do?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or the Potter Verse, nor Twilight or its characters. I do not make any profit from these writings… sadly!  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**A/N:** Okay, I am totally sorry it took so long to update… I had family over for the holiday and then car trouble and an entire mess of problems, but anyways… The chapter is finally finished, I hope you like it! Remember, reviews are most welcome!!! Enjoy!

**Chapter 3: What's a Wizard to Do?**

The rest of the morning Harry spent in a daze, trying to get acquainted with this new life. A new life in a new school, in an entirely new country with very different customs and ways of talking. He felt like he a completely different world. One where things were the same, but different; a mix of the old and the new and where he had absolutely no idea of how to just be normal.

Harry went from class to class, trying to find anything that felt familiar to life at Hogwarts, but there wasn't much. The small collection of brick buildings that made up the school was a pale comparison to the ancient and overwhelming beauty of Hogwarts Castle. The old flagstone that littered the school grounds, the quidditch pitch and stadium where he spent countless days training and just playing for fun with friends. The Black lake, where during the spring and early summer, the students would gather and enjoy the sun's warm rays and the cool breeze drifting off of the lake nearby.

Nothing here could ever compare to his time at Hogwarts, his home. He knew he only had to wait and he would find something so much better than even Hogwarts, he would find a family, a mate. However, the overwhelming disconnect he felt at the strange new life was hard to ignore.

There were several times where his fellow students made an attempt to get to know the new student. He was something of a mystery to them and they tried very hard to figure him out. Being a seventeen year old emancipated British orphan who moved to a small back water town in the middle of nowhere and lived alone was at the very least something new to them. There were rumors circulating about him, things he overheard from conversations nearby. Many made him snort in amazement at the things people could make up… many thought he was a rich playboy who had needed to get away from a scandal back home. Others thought that he was on the run from some the law, wanted for murder or the like. It was hilarious what outlandish things they had come up with really.

In his first period, which happened to be English, he met a blonde preppy girl by the name of Jessica.

"You're Harry potter, right?" Jessica asked she looked at him with an undisguised curiosity. The girl spoke quietly as the class was supposed to be writing a short essay on a recent book they had read. The teacher sat at the front of the class, head down in a stack of papers, grading the previous class' essays.

"Yeah." Harry replied, not much for talking.

Jessica, not getting Harry's reluctance to divulge his life story to a complete stranger, continued asking questions. "So, it's just you? That's weird, I mean you're only seventeen; don't you need an adult to live with you or something? I think that the law!"

With a heavy sigh, Harry turned to the annoying blonde and said, "Yeah, usually, but I am an adult in the law's eyes, I was emancipated a while ago. So, now it's just me."

"Wow, you must love it. I mean being able to stay up as late as you want, drinking and partying, doing whatever you want… that's so cool!"

"Yep, it's kegger, all day, every day!" Harry responded, the American phase rolling off his tongue sharply.

The blonde had a dreamy glazed look in her eyes that Harry found a little unsettling. Obviously she had a thing for bad boys… Harry was never happier than to be a "goody-goody" than at that moment. After years of Draco teasing him about his hero complex and his "goody-goody" nature, Harry finally found a perverse pleasure in seeing it used for something other than getting into the pants of every willing bird, or so Draco had always put it.

"Actually, it's pretty boring really; I spend most of my time at home, alone… reading and such." Harry retorted, he couldn't help but barely contain the smirk that wanted to spring up as the twit came out of her Bad-Boy induced fog.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sure you probably have way too much time too yourself; alone and all. Probably spending it brooding and thinking about better times…" The glazed look was back on her face again. Gods, who did she think he was, bloody Heathcliff brooding as he walked the moors, waiting for Catherine… Harry snorted in amusement, he had heard the English teacher talking earlier about them just finishing up Wuthering Heights. Good book, but not exactly great characters to base a relationship on.

"Not really."

The glazing disappeared for a final time as the blonde frowned in disappointment and then returned to the essay in front of her.

For the next few hours, Harry found each new class went about the same. It seemed that the students of Forks High School were very interested in Harry and tried at every moment to hear his life story or become his new best friend. By the time lunch rolled around Harry was on edge and wasn't dealing with the questions as nicely as he had in the beginning of the day. He had never liked the attention he had received as the Boy-Who-Lived and was finding that the attention as the new student from England was just as annoying.

After going through the cafeteria line and paying for his lunch, he turned around and sighed. Since this morning he hadn't had too much time to think about the fact that he was friendless for the first time since that day on platform 9 and ¾ seven years ago. He had been so happy when Ron and he had become best mates, his first friend ever and Hermione had followed not long after. Now, he was in a completely foreign place and feeling alone.

"Hiya, I'm Eric!" said a pale and thin boy with black hair. He held out his hand for Harry to shake and so Harry did so, if a little reluctantly. The boy reminded Harry a little too much of Colin Creevy, he hoped he didn't have another obsessive fan/friend on his hands.

"Er… I'm Harry."

"Oh, I know, the whole school's been talking about you for a few days. Ever since you moved here all by yourself, everybody hasn't been able to stop talking about you…" Eric spoke animatedly as he led Harry, if reluctantly, towards a lunch table located in the center of the cafeteria. The table was populated with a number of kids, all talking and laughing. The guys were shoving each other playfully while the girls giggled and watched on as the boys acted like complete Neanderthals.

Harry saw that Jessica, the blonde from his English class was there.

"Guys, this is Harry… Harry meet the guys!" Eric greeted. "That's Jessica there; beside her are Lauren and then Angela."

The three girls waved at him and gave him various flirtatious looks, ranging from all out fluttering of the eyes to just plain blushing. Harry couldn't understand it; he had never considered himself a very handsome guy. Back at Hogwarts he had always had girls trying to be with him because his was Harry Potter, hero of the wizarding world; not because he was anything special to look at, now he couldn't help but blush in embarrassment at the interest they were giving him.

"And over here, is Mike and Tyler."

"Hello." Harry said.

"So Harry, how do you like Forks so far?" asked Angela after he sat down.

"It's fine. The weather reminds me of back home, which is nice."

Harry picked up his sandwich and took a bite as Angela replied, "Yeah, it pretty much is raining or at least cloudy here 99 percent of the time."

Nodding, Harry continued to eat, he always was socially awkward… he never knew what to say, especially to people he didn't know very well.

"You play any sports?" Mike asked from across the table.

"Not really, the boarding school I went to more… academic." Harry answered, he played sports, but quidditch wasn't a real sport; at least not to muggles.

Just then, from the corner of his eye, Harry saw five students walk into the cafeteria. One of them was the guy Harry had made an idiot of himself in front of this morning. Harry felt his breath catch as their eyes met for just a moment and then the tall dark haired Adonis moved on.

Watching beneath his lashes, Harry allowed his eyes to wander over the five in wonder. They were beautiful and alluring, a mixture of both hard and soft features. All were ghostly pale with amber eyes, moving with precise steps and confident in their bodies. They seemed as if they alike, but different at the same time. Each had dark bruising under their eyes and Harry wondered if it was hereditary or the like. None of them seem to be looking at each other; rather all of them were staring at different points in the large room. At times it seemed like they were speaking to each other as their lips moved, but far too fast to understand.

A massive dark haired guy, who looked like he could bench press Hagrid without any problems, sat at the far end of the table. Beside him sat a tall blonde girl, with soft lines and a figure that would make any man beg. To her left, sat another guy with pale blonde hair, sharp angular features and a pained expression on his face. As Harry looked, the blonde guy turned just a fraction of an inch towards the short pixie like creature beside him. She had short choppy dark hair and sparkling amber eyes, her mischievous smile only made her eyes glow even more in merriment.

Finally, beside her, sat the last boy. Nearly as tall as the other two boys, he was not overly muscled like the first boy or rail thin like the second, but a slim seekers built with a toned muscled arms and legs. He had a slight frown on his face as his lips moved again, speaking so quickly, Harry nearly missed the movement.

"They are the Cullen's." Jessica said suddenly, drawing Harry from his wanderings.

"Sorry?" asked Harry, still looking at the group sitting several tables away.

"I said they are the Cullen's, the ones you're looking at." Jessica repeated. "They moved here last year, they're like all together… I mean _all together_! The big one is Emmett and the girl next to him is Rosalie, they're dating. Then bedside them, is Jasper and Alice and they're together too. The only one who isn't with someone is Edward, the one on the end. I guess he's too good for anyone here!"

"Turn you down, did he?" Harry asked as Jessica blushed and confirmed Harry's suspicions.

Harry saw a smirk on Edward Cullen's face and frowned. Could he hear the conversation? From so far away and over the dull hum of the rest of the student population? Weird.

"They aren't very friendly; they don't really talk to anyone, but the other Cullen's." Jessica said as she stared at the Cullen's.

"They seem like a nice family."

"Dr. Cullen adopted Emmett, Alice and Edward and then Mrs. Cullen took in Jasper and Rosalie, they are twins and are her niece and nephew or something." Jessica answered.

"The Cullen's sound nice. To take in so many kids, not everyone would do that…" Harry said softly visions of the Durley's popping up in his mind.

"I don't think Mrs. Cullen can have kids though." Jessica said with an air of disdain. She spoke like the only reason they adopted them was because they couldn't have their own.

"Do you really think that matter's? They took in five kids that didn't have a home and gave them a family… there are a lot of kids that don't get that!" Harry spoke harshly.

Jessica looked properly chastised and started eating her lunch with fervor. The table was quiet for a bit, the tension palpable in the air.

"So, I hear you're from England… why'd you move here?" Eric asked his blatant curiosity annoying.

"The usual, got thrown out of another boarding school for partying, assault and battery, oh and I think there was something about cannibalism mentioned somewhere…" Harry said sarcastically.

All eyes at the table widened in shock at Harry's words, the tension back in the air. Harry heard a suppressed laugh from the Cullen's and grinned. These people are idiots, cannibalism? Honestly!

Laughing, Harry exclaimed, "Honestly, you're too easy!"

As everyone took a heavy sigh, Harry continued, "It was nothing big, just felt the need to get out of the UK. A friend of mine died a while back and I just needed a change, is all."

Harry still felt the sharp pain from Ginny's death and the guilt of it weighed on him. Even though his friends had tried repeatedly to persuade him otherwise, he knew he was to blame. If he hadn't been so impulsive and listened to Hermione and Ron, Ginny would still be alive today! Since that night he had made it a point of listening to what his friends had to say and not just jumping in without a moment's thought. If he was going to win and defeat Voldemort, he was going to have to be smart and change the way in the war!

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"He is feeling sadness and guilt from his friend's death." Jasper said as he tuned into Harry's emotions. "A lot of guilt."

Edward heard pieces of Harry's thoughts and they only made him more interested in to getting to know the younger boy.

'_Even… friends had tried…. persuade him otherwise….was to blame. If he hadn't been… impulsive…listened to Hermione… Ginny would still be alive today!'_

'_If he… to win and defeat… he was going to…be smart… in the war!'_

He relayed Harry's broken thoughts to his brothers and sisters, they all frowned in thought. Hearing him think answered some questions, but brought up more in their wake. Edward wondered who Ginny was and who she was to Harry… a girlfriend? Friend?

He wanted to go over to him and protect him, keep him safe, but he knew he couldn't. Harry didn't know who Edward was and from what he knew of Harry he could more than protect himself. EDwards instinct as his mate, nonetheless, cried out to be close to him, to ease his pain. His scent called out to Edward, but oddly not as food, but rather purely that of a mate. He knew that when vampires found their mates, they did so by scent, it called to them, leading them to the mate. However, he expected at least in some way for his blood to call Edward, he was a vampire after all.

"Does his scent smell different to you?" Edward asked while still gazing at his mate.

He heard them draw in breath, pulling in the scent of his mate, their eyes glazing over and turning a shade darker as they did so. The scent of the humans around them ever present for them.

"He definitely smells different… his blood doesn't call to me like the others." Jasper stated the all too present grimace on his face lessened a little bit. "Do you think it has to do with him being a wizard?"

"I don't know, maybe. At least this way, if we don't see him as food, he will not be in as much danger around us." Edward replied, his family nodding in agreement.

Alice sat beside him, bubbling with excitement, nearly bouncing in her seat. She had a large glee filled smile on her face.

"Did you see something else?" He questioned.

"You will just have to wait and see!" Alice said in a sing song voice as the bell rang for the next period.

Frowning at Alice, he then took one last look at Harry and found his eyes meeting Harry's startling emerald ones. If he had needed to breathe, he knew that his breath would have caught at the look in those eyes. Harry had a puzzled look on his face and a slight frown marred his face. Hearing his breath catch and then release after a few moments as his heart began a fast paced tempo. A flush crept along his face and down his neck and Edward couldn't help, but wonder how far the blush went. It seemed as if time stood still and for just a little while, the world consisted of only Harry and Edward; Harry's heart beating a drum beat that filled the silence. It was then Edward heard a few stray thoughts in Harry's head.

'Is it him… gorgeous… look away… please look away… you're an idiot Potter… embarrassing yourself…'

Then, someone passed by in front of Edward and their connection was broken. Harry blinked several times and then the blush seemed to intensify as he hurriedly grabbed his things and left the cafeteria.

With a last look at his mate's retreating form, Edward gathered his uneaten food, taking it to the trash to throw away and made his way towards Biology. As he walked he thought about Alice's last comment; he hated when Alice was cryptic like that, it made him wonder what was going to happen…

Obviously, it was about Harry. The few visions she had seen of Harry told him a little about his mate, but not a lot. Edward wondered what kind of a person was he. Did he have anyone who he could trust? Did he have someone to love him? He knew that Harry's life was hard, that he had been betrayed by those he thought loved him. Did he have anyone missing him from where he came?

His power, even if Edward hadn't been told about it from Alice, was very strong and he could feel the pull of Harry's magical strength. From the one vision Alice had shown him, it was apparent that at the end of the war many would be lost and he wondered if his mate would survive? Would his family survive? Would he? He knew this battle, this war, that had consumed the magical world was massive and countless lives had been lost so far and many more to come. A truly evil being was bent on killing Harry and had been doing so for his entire life. The entire war centered on Harry and what he did, who he trusted with his life. Everything rested on the shoulders of a seventeen year old wizard who happened to be Edward's mate. Every single person in his family, his mate included, was in danger and threatened by a being that had a fanatical group of followers to do his every evil bidding… As a vampire, he was a feared creature, made to hunt and kill. He was a monster under cover of beauty and allure. Edward did not feel fear, rather he inspired it, but in that moment he felt fear for the first time since his death.

As he reached the Biology classroom, he tried to focus his thoughts on a less heavy subject. Sitting in his assigned seat at one of the lab stations, he opened his mind, allowing the thoughts of those around him to creep in. He searched their minds, trying to find his mate within them. Over time, he had found his gift of reading minds permitted him to, in a sense, view the person's surrounding through their mind's eye. Even if he wasn't allowed direct contact yet, he could pacify himself with protecting his mate from afar. Not only was this his charge as Harry's mate, but it was also a pleasure. Harry was a truly beautiful person and he was very willing to spend his time looking at Harry.

It was just as he was sifting through the mire in the minds of those within the school, that he saw his mate hesitantly walk into the Biology class and up to the teacher. He couldn't help, but allow a smirk to glance across his face, seeing as the only free seat left in the entire classroom was the one right beside him.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

After lunch, Harry made my way towards his next class, Biology. After a few minutes of trying to find the class without luck, he checked the map given to him by the front office and headed in the right direction. He still felt the heat of the blush on his skin from the moment with Edward Cullen and he frowned. Was he Harry's mate? When Harry had looked at him his breath caught and his heart had raced. He felt like the world stopped and they were the only ones in it. He was embarrassed really, he couldn't look away; he just kept staring at Edward. Edward had too, but still he was embarrassing to think about. Still, he couldn't help, but smile, the thought that he might be Harry's mate made him blissful… Edward was very attractive. He was tall and well muscled with pale skin and dark wavy hair. His eyes, a captivating amber color, made Harry want to look into them forever. He had full lips that Harry found himself wanting to bite and lick; and that thought, up until a few days ago, would have made him blanch.

It was strange how just a few days ago he had been unquestionably straight. Of course it wasn't like he had any experience with either sex, but he had always just assumed girls were for him. The few times he had thought about it, he had imagined that if he survived the coming war he would meet a girl, settle down, get married and have a family. Family was important to him and he had always wanted one. When he was little he had hoped that someday his dad and mum would magically appear and take him away from the Dursleys. He prayed that they weren't dead, that it was all a lie and it would happen one day, but it didn't. The only family he had left had been the Dursleys, much as they hated the fact.

As he grew older, he realized the only family he would ever have were the ones he choose for himself. After he went to Hogwarts, for a few years, he truly felt like he had a family, not by blood, but by choice. The Weasley's took Harry in, they showed him affection, scolded him when he did something wrong or when he put himself in danger. Harry spent holidays with them and birthdays, he had many brothers, a little sister and two of the best mates he could have ever asked for. Then when Sirius and then Remus had come along, everything was even better. He had both a godfather and an adopted godfather, people his dad and mum had chosen for Harry with love, trusting them to care for him when they couldn't. They were like an extension of his parents and if he tried hard enough, he almost felt like they were there with him.

Then, one horrible night made of impulsive decisions, Death Eaters and Voldemort, he lost most of his family. With Ginny, he felt the guilt of her death on his conscience; if he had listened to his friends and waited she would have still been alive. It was a mistake he would have to live with for the rest of his life. When the extent of what was lost came to light, he was blamed. By those he had once called family and friends. The Weasley's blamed him for every bad thing that had happened to their family since he arrived in the wizarding world, he was a stain on their family, the cause of Ginny's death. They shunned him and for a while he allowed them to; after all he was a danger to them, he always had been and he was to blame for Ginny's death.

However, when they began spreading lies and telling Harry's most guarded and personal secrets they went too far. Their spiteful vengeance on him had caused most of his friends and the wizarding world to be against him. Harry was blamed for so many deaths and dangerous events, many of which he had nothing to do with, and he was viewed as a dangerous threat to all those around him. From the ashes of his old family came a new one, a stronger one. With Sirius and Remus by his side, and soon Neville, Luna and Draco,he found out who he could truly count on to stay with him. Through thick and thin, through the dangers of his part in this war.

Now, he was on the verge of not only finding a family that he was denied as a child, but a mate as well. Someone to love him, care for him, protect him and help him in his fight; someone that he could do the same for. A mate that was just for him to love and be loved by in return…

Finally, he found the class and after taking a deep breath to steady his thoughts, he walked into the classroom. It was just before the start of class and so the room was filled with boisterous talking and laughing, the students were making use of the free time before class.

"Um, hello, i'm Harry Potter. I'm new." he said to the teacher.

"Take a seat, class will begin in just a moment." The teacher said curtly, not even lifting his head from the papers he was currently grading.

He turned and after looking around, he saw the only open seat was right next to Edward Cullen. Nervously, Harry walked to the free seat and sat down. Setting down his book bag, he took out a pen and paper, waiting for class to begin. He was still getting use to using muggle writing utensils, after years of using quills and parachment. As he did so, he chanced a look to his left and saw Edward staring at Harry. Quickly he turned away, feeling a blush rush over his with embarrassment.

"Hello, I am Edward Cullen." He heard from a deep melodic voice beside me. "I wasn't able to introduce myself this morning."

The blush that seemed to be every present around him, now grew deeper as Harry remembered his fall that morning and the lingering in his arms. Trying to keep from humiliating himself even more, he took a breath and then said, "Um, hello… I'm Harry, Harry Potter."

He held out his hand to shake Edward's and as their hands met he felt a spark of electricity shoot up his arm and into his chest. It felt like it went straight to his heart as corny as it sounds. He looked into Edward's eyes and saw an amused twinkle in them and smiled.

"From what I gather, you moved here from England?" Edward asked as they released each other's hand.

"Yeah, just got here a few days ago, actually." He answered, turning to face him a little more. "You probably heard the gossip by now, everyone I have met so far has asked about it, so I might as well fill you in… Um, let's see. I am seventeen, emancipated, I moved here alone after a friend died and I needed to just get away. I'm not terribly social and can be incurably rude when I am annoyed, so watch yourself… yeah, I think that's it. Wait no; if you hear anything about cannibalism or assault and battery, it was just a joke…"

Edward sat there just smiling at Harry while chuckling; his laugh made a tingly sensation travel up Harry's spine and it took all of his will power to not shiver.

"I will endeavor not to annoy you then." He said still laughing. "I'd rather keep my body intact, if you don't mind."

Harry gave him a mock glare just as the bell rang for class to begin. For the next thirty minutes, they sat in silence while the teacher gave a lecture on mitosis, whatever that was. He really needed to brush up on his science apparently. After that the teacher had them look at slides with their lab partner to see the stages of mitosis. As they viewed the slides, Edward spoke.

"So, do you have any family back in England?"

"Um, I have a godfather Sirius and his mate-um, I mean partner, Remus." Harry scolded himself for the slip up. Talking about Sirius being Remus' mate could bring up more questions than hecould answer right then. "Then there is Draco, he is like a brother… we've known each other since we were eleven and up until a year and a half ago, were bitter rivals. But, then things changed and he became my best friend, my brother by choice."

"What do they think about you moving half way across the world?" Edward questioned as he looked at a slide in the microscope. "I imagine it was hard for them to let you go."

"Yeah, I was kind of a… well, a last minute choice. They knew I needed to come and so they hopefully understand. Sirius and Remus will keep them all strong. I know Luna and Neville, my other friends, will have a hard time, they weren't able to be there when I said goodbye."

He frowned, a heavy pain clenching his chest. He hated that he had to leave them, not being able to say goodbye was even worse. They were all no doubt worried if he was alright, wondering when he would return. Harry missed them, but he knew that coming here was important. He was getting a mate and a family, as well as achieving the rest of the prophesy. In meeting his new family, he would somehow have his power increased seven times. Which was astounding to him, he had no idea how that would happen, but anything that gave him a better chance of winning was a plus.

"How long are you staying in Forks?" He asked.

"I don't know… I have something to do here and I guess I am staying until it's finished."

Illyantia hadn't given a time frame on how long he needed to be here, just a vague understanding that he wouldn't be found until he was ready to fight. Harry guess it had something to do with his power increase and his family. Since the night at the ministry at the end of fifth year, he had realized that he wasn't ready to fight Voldemort yet.

So, in an effort to get ready, Sirius and Remus with Dumbledore's interference as well as Snape, started to train Harry. He tried again to learn Occulmency, but not as well as he could have, Snape was his teacher after all. They butted heads at every turn and he found the lessons less then helpful. He was better, but he still hadn't learned to completely protect his mind. Also, he learned advanced Transfiguration, Charms, DADA and wandless magic. He was significantly more prepared then the last time he faced Voldemort.

"What about your family? I heard you have a couple adopted brothers and sisters?" Harry asked, wondering about him. His family sounded nice, his parents adopting so many kids said a great deal.

"I have two brothers, Emmett and Jasper and two sisters, Rosalie and Alice. My father, Carlisle, is a doctor at the hospital here in Forks. My mother Esme, is a painter and a homemaker." Edward answered. "We moved here from Alaska about a year ago."

The bell rang just after he spoke and they began gathering their things and made their way out of the class.

"What class do you have next?"

"Gym." Harry answered.

"So do I." He replied and led the way towards the gym. As they walked, two of Edwards siblings, Jasper and Alice he thought, began to walk with them.

Alice, the bubbly pixie-like girl, took the spot beside Harry and held out her hand. "Hi, Harry, I'm Alice and that's Jasper over there. We're Edward's brother and sister."

Shaking her hand and he said, "Hello." As he did so, he lost his footing and nearly tripped, Alice catching him before he hit the ground. Quickly righting himself, he gave her a thankful smile. Her cold hands made him shiver as they touched. It was late September and fairly warm, even if it wasn't sunny and he wondered why she was so cold. Maybe she was sick?

"You're adorable, you know that!" Alice said excitedly and he blushed.

Edward laughed and he gave him a glare. "She has a point."

Rolling his eyes, he continued walking. They made it to the gym and after changing clothes they entered the main part. The coach had Harry sit in the bleachers as he didn't have a change of clothes. Sitting on the bleachers, he watched Edward, Jasper and Alice play volleyball with the rest of the class. Everyone was busy trying to keep the ball in the air, bouncing back and forth over the net. He smiled as Mike, one of the boys he met at lunch, tried to send a ball flying off towards Edward. It was obviously meant to do damage, but Edward sent it flying back over the net with ease, bouncing off Mike shoulder shaprly. Edward smirked in amusement and continued to play.

As they played he began to think about Edward and his family and whether or not he could be Harry's mate. Harry's instant connection to Edward was something and Edward's father was a doctor; Illyantia had said his "adopted" father had been one when he was younger. It made sense. One part he didn't understand was the part about t being taken in by the dead and them being the living dead and such. It was oddly phrased and Harry tried to think what it could mean…

Were they vampires?!

Alice was really cold and thinking about it Edward had been too; he thought it was just the cold for the early morning air, but maybe not? They were exceptionally pale and they hadn't eaten their lunches. The climate there was usually either rainy or cloudy, so hardly any sun. Were they really vampires? Sucking the blood from people, killing them? They seemed to be alright with humans right now, but about the rest of the time?

He never heard of a vampire that was very nice. Last year when he had met Sanguini at Slughorn's party; the vampire had made him uneasy. From the little he read of them, they were considered dark creatures and very dangerous.

Would he be safe with them? This made him question everything…

The class soon ended and Harry gathered his things and started to leave. This was his last class and he needed to get home and think. Maybe talk to Illyantia.

"Harry I was talking to Edward and we thought maybe you would like to come over and meet them rest of our family. Since you are by yourself here in Forks. What do you think?" Alice asked excitedly as she nearly slipped over to him.

Oh my gods! Were they serious? Him go and meet an entire vampire coven?

Edward frowned as he walked up to them and he wondered if Edward could smell his fear. If it was possible the frown deepened.

"Er… I actually need to get home, things to do you know…" he said as he began walking backwards, edging his way away from them. "Um, I'll see you tomorrow."

He quickly walked away. Do it calmly! Don't run, they will notice you're scared! Vampires were the family Trelawney had prophesied about? He needed to get away from them. Glancing back, he saw Edward still frowning and talking to Alice and now Jasper beside her. They all looked at him with confused expressions on their faces.

What was going on? How could he possibly have them as his family? They were VAMPIRES! He's in just as much danger with them as he would be with Voldemort!

He needed to talk to Illyantia… it didn't make any sense.


	4. Getting to Know You Part 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or its characters, nor do I own Twilight or its characters. I do not make any profit from these writings.  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**A/N:** Here is another chapter, I hope you all enjoy! Please review!!

**Chapter 4: Getting to Know You-Part 1**

"Don't freak out… everything will be alright…" Harry told himself as he aparated into his home. It was times like these when he really missed his friends, especially Draco. Draco would have laughed, call Harry a drama queen and told him to suck it up. Harry could really use a speech like that right now.

Standing in his living room, he began to pace back and forth, trying to figure out what he should do. It wasn't so much that they were vampires and he was afraid, it was more that he had built up this imagine in his head about this perfect family for him and now it was all crumbling. He was a wizard, if he was honest and didn't deny the truth, he could admit he was a _very_ _powerful_ wizard. It wasn't like he couldn't defend himself, but was he couldn't just allow them to bleed defenseless humans dry and kill them! He didn't want to think of them that way, as killers, but how could he not, they were vampires! They were supposed to be his family, his haven, one his mate and now everything was turned upside down.

After wearing down the carpet with his pacing, Harry decided there was nothing more he could do until he spoke with Illyantia. She would have the answers.

"Er… Illyantia, um, can I talk to you?" Harry spoke to the room at large, waiting for her to appear or talk to him, something.

It seemed like he waited forever, but really it was only a minute or two. Then, with a familiar flash of silver light, Illyantia appeared. Dressed very similar to when he last saw her, Illyantia wore another long flowly white dress that drape down her tall willowy figure. Illyantia's white blonde hair swayed in the non-existent breeze around her. The color of her hair painfully reminded Harry of Draco and then of everyone back home and he tried to quell the rising loneliness creeping into him.

"Hello, Harry, how are you?" Illyantia asked her voice had a softly tranquil quality to it that eased Harry's troubled mind for a bit.

"Having a mild panic attack, and you?" Harry said facetiously.

Laughing, Illyantia walked towards him, then grabbing his hand and led him to sit on the coach. "What troubles you Harry?"

"I think I met my family and their vampires!" Harry blurted out, then pressing his lips together to keep from bothering her anymore with his troubles. He had said the most important issue, the one she could help him with anyway. "How can I become a part of a family of vampires?! They would likely kill and suck me dry more than invite me into their family!"

Illyantia gave Harry a reassuring smile and lightly cradled his hand in hers. She could feel Harry's tumultuous emotions as the Guardian of Lost Souls. Harry's soul had long called to her, the pain and suffering he had thrust upon him his entire life had seen to it. From such a young age he had more harm done to him, both physically and mentally, than she had seen in a long time. To have his parents taken from him in such a way, his mother in front of his eyes and then to have the same evil creature try to kill him, had left an imprint of his soul. He had been marked for a life filled with hurt and betrayal since that day.

Illyantia had felt his call, but had been unable to go to him. Even though his soul had called to her, his pain nearly over powering her senses, it hadn't been until that moment a few days ago when his soul had cried out with complete all consuming pain that she had been able to answer. It was only when he was faced with death, yet again; from a life filled with disappointment and burdens too heavy for one so young that she had come. He had lived his life, let down by so many who had professed to love him, to care for him, or those who should have loved him and then to be struck down at young age before he had truly lived any sort of real life.

It was in that moment, that she had answered his call and began to give him back what was taken so carelessly from him; a family and a mate for him to love and be loved by. Now, as she looked at this boy, who had been through so much she knew he did not know everything she did. He wasn't aware of the good in the Cullen family, what they could offer him that he so deserved.

If Harry were not in such a state she would have found the situation humorous, the irony of it. He thought that they were soulless vampires, killing mercilessly and leaving bodies in their wake. This assumption was not wholly unjustified, as he had never heard of vampires such as them. Most were just that, soulless killers who reveled in the pain and terror they inflicted in their victims. However, the Cullen's as self appointed "vegetarians" were unique. There were very few who lived that life, only surviving on the blood of animals killed to sustain them. They were creatures made to live on the blood of other living beings, but they curtailed their baser instincts, keeping their lust for the blood of humans from taking over.

Illyantia knew that once Harry realized this he would be one step closer to finding peace and happiness in his life. With the help of his new family, Harry would soon be ready to face what was to come.

"Harry, do you know that there are a subspecies of vampire, though rare, that live on the blood of animals?" She asked. When Harry shook of his head no, she continued. "Yes, there are very few of them, most are exactly as you have been taught, dark creatures that delight in the hunt of humans like you. However, your new family are those rare vampires, they live on animal blood and only that. You can tell this by the color of their eyes. They have amber eyes and when they are hungry they turn to black. Those that live on the blood of humans have crimson eyes."

Harry sat there letting his mind absorb the news. He felt an easing of the warring emotions in him, the hope of belonging to a family, of a mate to ease the loneliness inside him had made him hopeful for the first time in a long time. Then, to have it so roughly taken away from him had nearly crippled him. Illyantia's words helped with this, they allowed the chance that maybe his new family was not lost to him. He still wasn't sure how he felt about vampires as a whole, but from what he had seen of Edward, Jasper and Alice, maybe they were not all bad. They had been nice to him, helpful and seem to take being around humans fairly well. Maybe he had blown this out of proportion?

"I didn't know there were vampires like that; everything I have been told and read in books didn't mention anything like that." Harry stated.

"I believe they are so rare that most are completely unaware they even exist."

"Wow!" Harry said. "That is great to hear; I thought that maybe it all wasn't real and that I wasn't going to get a new family. It was nice having that hope, you know; of a family. I love Sirius and Remus, but they are my godfathers and I just always wanted to have a real mum and dad. I never really knew my parents and so it was great to think that maybe I would have some after so long. Then to have a mate also, someone to call my own… I want that so much…"

"Of course, every little boy wants the same thing, to be loved and cared for. To be watched over and tended to when their in need; and you still can have that. You need only accept what they have to offer you. They may not be what you expected, but they are what you need." Illyantia promised Harry. She then gave him a sharp stare and said, "Now, is there anything else you needed help with?"

Harry was about to say no, he didn't want to burden her with his problems, but a raised eyebrow and a knowing look quelled that response. "Um, I just miss everyone, Sirus and Remus, Draco, Neville and Luna… I just wanted to make sure they are alright. I left so suddenly and there was still a battle going on, there were more Death Eaters not far off."

"Ah, yes, that is to be expected. I have just the thing for you!" Illyantia said excitedly.

She snapped her fingers and there in her palm appeared a small silver orb. The glowing orb reminded Harry of Illyantia's swirling silver eyes and he wondered what it was. Then as if she read his mind, she spoke.

"This is a Zulian Orb; you can use it to view space and time. However, because you are not supposed to see you future, I have made it to seek out you friends and family in the present time. You may use it at any time and for however long you like, but you will not be able to communicate with them, nor they you. Also, it will show you specific things you need to know to help you in your journey."

She handed the orb to Harry and he looked at it in wonder. It was a brilliant thing and he couldn't wait to use it! "How do you use it? I've never seen anything like this before."

"It will read your thoughts and show you what you need to see." She replied. "This orb is from a race of beings like me who watch over those like yourself. We live in a plain of existence that does not usually cross your own. However, from time to time we answer the call of those in need and we use orbs like that to do so."

"What are you?"

"Oh, you would be unable to pronounce our name in any of earth's languages. Though for lack of the actual name, we are The Guardians." Illyantia answered and then she stood to leave. "I will leave you now, make good use of the orb and if you need me, just call."

With that she was gone in a flash of light and Harry then yelled, "Thank you!"

He heard quiet laughter and then, "Your welcome, little one."

Harry sat there for some time just staring at the orb in disbelief that something so small could do so much. After a few minutes, he thought of Sirius and Remus, hoping they were alright. Then he felt a tug and found himself pulled into the orb and deposited in Grimmald Place. Shaking his head, he stood up from the spot he had fallen to and smiled. The orb was similar to a pensieve where it drew you into the the memory, or like this, a place half way across the world.

Looking around he saw that he was in the entryway of the ancient house. He walked towards the center of the house and heard voices coming from the kitchen below. In an instant he found himself in said kitchen, where Remus and Sirius were sitting with none other than Severus Snape. Harry recoiled in alarm, wondering why the greasy git was there; his godfathers and he had a notorious hatred of one another.

"Has there been any news?" asked Remus quietly as he threaded his fingers through the hair at Sirius' nape absently. Sirius looked withdrawn and had dark circles under his eyes. Harry wished he could talk to them and let them know he was alright.

Sirius over the last few years had slowly begun to improve, after spending twelve years in Azkaban. He had gained needed weight and color had returned to his skin. Remus' influence had done wonders for Sirius and Harry had been thankful. The two marauders had begun a relationship that had been in the waiting since they were children and both were the better for it. Now, with Harry leaving, Sirius looked close to the way he had shortly after escaping prison.

"The Dark Lord has had no substantial leads on Potter's whereabouts. He is most displeased at this turn of events." Snape answered, a strained look on his face, no doubt restraining himself from leaving in swish of his black robes dramatically. The displeasure of being in the company of a werewolf and a mutt, as he often called Harry's godfathers, was apparent on his face.

Harry was amazed; they were actually being civil to each other. He had never thought that this day would come!

"We shouldn't have just let him go… he could be anywhere! He could be dead and none of us would ever know!" Sirius stated quietly.

"Padfoot, you know as well as I do, we wouldn't have been able to do anything even if we tried. That shield didn't let us in or Harry out and it blocked the spell sent at it. There was nothing we could do." Remus reassured him, holding him close and kissing his mate's temple. "Wherever he is, he is supposed to be there. Larger forces are at work than just us, apparently."

"I know it is just frustrating to not have any power to help him right now!" Sirius exclaimed.

It took everything in him not to scream and shout trying to tell them he was okay. He hated that they were hurting because of him.

"He will be back, rest assured Potter's hero complex will insure he returns. He is incapable of ignoring such attention as he would have as The-Boy-Who-Defeated-The-Dark-Lord!" Snape said sharply. Strangely enough it seemed to relieve a little worry in his godfathers' eyes.

Harry felt another pull and found himself back on the couch in his living room again. The feeling of loneliness did not leave altogether, but at least now he knew his godfathers were okay, even if a little down.

Next, he decided to see what his friends were up to at Hogwarts. Draco was probably feeling the worst from Harry's absence. After the events last year, Draco had been basically shunned by his own house and the other houses were no better. He and Harry had been near friendless, save Neville and Luna. He hoped Draco was holding up. He knew that he would show to the outside world the famous Malfoy coldness, but inside he felt his emotions keenly.

Looking at the orb again, Harry pictured Draco in his mind and felt the tug pulling him into the orb again. He landed better this time; he was on his feet at least. Looking around his realized he had to be in the Room of Requirement. The four of them had taken to spending most of their free time in the safe haven. They were not welcome in the common rooms of their houses and when they were about the school, often there was whispered gossip and taunting remarks thrown at them. So they created a sort of fifth house, one for the outcasts in the school.

A ways away he saw Draco, Neville and Luna sitting around the roaring fireplace. Luna sat in a big comfy chair near the fire, while Draco and Neville sat together on the plump couch. All were busy with homework and a companionable silence filled the room. Harry smiled at his friends and just stared, he missed them so much. It was strange that just more than a year and a half ago, Draco had been Harry's enemy while Neville and Luna were his friends, but not near as close as they were now. The four had bonded almost seamlessly, their different personalities strangely fit together perfectly.

Harry sat down in an empty chair opposite the fireplace from Luna and just watched them for a while. After about ten minutes Neville spoke.

"Where do you suppose Harry is?"

Draco and Luna looked up from their work at Neville.

"Maybe he is with the Marplats." Luna said dreamily. "They are creatures that slip from one dimension to another. They are very hard to see, but they are everywhere."

Draco and Neville, used to Luna's strange comments, nodded without comment and Draco spoke. "Well wherever he is he's finally getting a real family. He's always wanted that."

"I hope he comes back soon, I don't like not knowing if he is safe or not." Neville said.

"Harry will be fine, he smart, brave and besides, Illyantia was nice, she was very pretty. He will be safe with her." Luna stated in a serene voice.

The three went back to the homework and before long Luna stood and began gathering her things. "See you boys tomorrow, Ravenclaw has a house meeting tonight. Bye Draco, Neville… Harry."

The blonde smiled sweetly at them and then left the room; Draco, Harry and Neville staring at the closed door. The odd way she said goodbye to Draco and Neville as well as Harry, made all three cock an eyebrow in question.

"She says strange things, but sometimes I almost believe her…" Neville stated.

Draco nodded still looking at the door. The girl from the start had been oddity to him. He never could find a balance of what to take as truth and what to take as her strange imagining.

"I miss him, Draco." Neville said quietly.

Draco put down his book and took Neville's from him and pulled the Gryffindor towards him. Neville leaned back against Draco's chest and signed. Draco laid his arms on top of Neville's shoulders, resting his hands palms down against his chest while he pressed his face into the Gryffindor's neck. They laid there quietly for a while and Harry watched on in happy shock.

Over the summer, it seemed like the two had grown closer. They had been more comfortable with every passing day. Harry had seen a possibility of the two getting together, but last he knew it hadn't happened yet.

"I know, he'll be back. Just like Luna said he's smart, brave and beside the woman was pretty. You can't fault her logic." Draco said with a small chuckle.

Neville smiled and laid his hands on top Draco's rubbing lightly. "Hopefully it's soon."

Draco started kissing Neville's neck and rubbing his chest lovingly. It was as Neville moaned softly and angled his head away to give the Slytherin more room that Harry decided it was time to go. It was a private moment, besides Harry loved his friends, but this was a little more than he wanted to see. With one last smile he felt the tug and came back to his quiet living room.

Smiling, he couldn't help, but be happy for his two friends. The state of the wizarding world as it was, he couldn't fault anyone for being blessed to find someone who they could find a little to love.

Now that he was reassured his friends were okay, his mind wandered to the issue of his new family and mate. A happy fluttery feeling was starting to form in his stomach and Harry grinned. Even if they were vampires, Illyantia had said they were the non-human killing variety, which he liked. Tomorrow, he would try and repair any damage he had done to the bond he was forming with them.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Later that night, as the moon rose over the dark forest, Edward sat watching his mate sleep. After the odd behavior and hearing Harry's broken thoughts Edward had to fight against his instinct to go to his mate and be with him.

Harry, from the little Edward had gathered, had realized they were vampires and fled. He imagined that Harry hadn't met or heard of vampires like Edward and his family, as their kind were few and far between. Jasper had said that Harry's emotions were mixed with a little fear, trepidation and disappointment. Alice had looked into the future and saw his mind was not made up, but there was still the possibility of him leaving. Edward had paced his bedroom and waited until night when he knew his mate would most likely be in bed and then he had come to be near his mate to reassure himself that Harry was still there.

When he found his mate's bedroom window open he had been both happy he could come in and be closer to Harry, but also worried that his mate had left the window open when he was most vulnerable. Now, as Edward sat in a reading chair bedside the bed, he was able to look at his mate without worry of being caught. Harry was truly beautiful and Edward felt lucky to have been given such a mate. His bravery and kind heart made Edward happy to be the one to protect and love Harry.

He hoped that Harry stayed in Forks, not that Edward wouldn't follow him to the ends of the earth, but it would be easier for the two of them to get know each other here in a controlled environment.

From the bed, Harry groaned softly and mumbled "Ginny, I'm sorry… comeback…"

Edward sat up and leaned closer to his mate. Harry was twisting in his bedding, his eyes moving swiftly behind their lids, the nightmare taking over.

"Please, I didn't mean for you to die… comeback!" Harry pleaded. "Ron… Hermione… please don't leave me… I'm sorry…"

The pain laced throughout Harry's words, the words pained Edward and he wished he could take it away from his mate. He didn't know what was happening in the dream, but he could imagine. He knew that Ginny had died and Harry felt guilt for her death. Ron and Hermione, maybe they were friends of Harry's? Did they die too? Or maybe desert him after Ginny's death? Edward wished he knew more, but only time would allow him to find out these things.

"I'm sorry… please, don't blame me… I tried to save her…" Harry had tears cascading down his face now; his hand griped the sheets in a desperate attempt to get away from the nightmare gripping him. "No… please… NOOOOOO!!!"

The scream and the resulting wakening of his mate sent Edward leaping out of the window to the tree nearby to keep Harry from finding Edward in his room.

Harry sat up in bed looking around his bedroom, his tears still falling as his breath came in deep pants. He sat there for a while, his breath slowly returning to normal and Edward listened into his thoughts.

'I'm sorry… forgive me Ginny…'

'Stupid dreams… never rest… too many nightmares… so many dead… need to win… soon'

'prophesy… need to… Edward…'

Finally, Harry lay back down in the bed and after a while, sleep took him again, hopefully this time without nightmares.

Edward waited until he heard even breaths and then entered the room again, walking to the bed. Wet tears cover his cheeks and Edward lightly wiped them away from the stunning pale skin beneath his fingers. Harry in sleep recognized his mate's touch and nuzzled his faced into Edward's hand. Smiling, Edward sat down on the edge of the bed and watched over his mate, guarding against even the dreams that plagued the young wizard.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

The next morning Harry woke up feeling brilliant. He wasn't sure why, but he felt inexplicably… loved! Harry laughed at himself and waved the feeling off, whatever it was he felt good.

After a quick shower and change, Harry poured himself a bowl of cereal. Sitting quietly in his kitchen, he tried to decide how best to develop his relationship with the Cullen's. He knew he may have damaged the newly formed bond between them and was eager to fix it again. Edward was the best place to start, as he was Harry's mate. He could feel a giddy sort of feeling overtake him and large grin formed on his face. His mate. That sounded perfect, blissful. Someone just for him…

With the grin still on his face, he grabbed his book bag and aparated to the same spot he had the day before. With a look to make sure everything was clear, Harry left the secluded tree line and walked towards the school. He saw that most of the school's population seemed to hang around the parking lot until class began. He was treated to the same staring he had the day before, some waving and saying hello.

"Hi, Harry" greeted Angela from the day before. Harry waved to her with a nod and kept walking. The girl had been one of the nicer people he had met yesterday. She hadn't been overtly catty or intrusive about Harry's life.

He was about twenty feet front the school's entrance when, Harry saw the Cullen's silver Volvo pull into a parking space near him. The five siblings exited the vehicle as Harry tried to think of how to best start a conversation with them. Of course, this was not needed, as Alice as soon as she exited the car slipped over to Harry and linked their arms together.

"Hi, Harry. How are you this morning?" She said excitedly as they waited for her other siblings to come.

"Um, fine." Harry replied, ever the conversationalist.

Edward, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett made their way over to the other two and Edward spoke. "Harry, these are my other brother and sister, Emmett and Rosalie."

Emmett gave a large grin to Harry and took Harry's hand in his massive one, shaking it enthusiastically. "How ya' doing Harry?"

"Hello." Harry greeted and then turned to Rosalie. The blonde gave a sniff with her nose up in the air disdainfully, but gave a begrudging slight nod of her head in greeting. "Nice to meet you both."

Edward, who happened to take the spot on Harry other side, spoke again. "My father and mother would like to know if you would like to come over after school, they would love to meet you."

Due to the way he had brushed off the invitation yesterday, Harry was surprised by the second invitation to meet Edward's family. He was happy nonetheless.

"I'd love to." Harry answered.

Edward gave Harry a heart stopping smile just as the school bell rang. The six slowly made their way into the school and began to separate, each heading towards their first period class. Edward, still smiling, said, "I will see you at lunch, Harry."

Nodding, Harry smiled and blushed unconsciously at the welcome attention from his mate. Edward walked away down the hallway as Alice, still having her arm linked through Harry's spoke. "I can't wait for you to come over; neither can Esme, my mother. She heard Edward and I talking about you and insisted you come over today so she could meet you. I would prepare for some serious mothering, Esme loves to heap attention on people and she is going to love you!"

With that, the pixie-like vampire, waved and skipped off to her class, whistling as she did so. Harry chuckled in amusement; Alice was very much like Luna. Head in the clouds, bubbly personality, childlike innocence, Harry could already tell that he and Alice would get along famously.

The day went by quickly, Harry eagerly counting the minutes until he saw Edward and the rest of the Cullen's again. He had already begun getting to know Edward and Alice, but was also impatient to learn more about the rest of the family.

Emmett had seemed like a fairly easy going guy, the large grin and enthusiastic welcome from the gigantic vampire had made Harry feel comfortable immediately. Jasper had been reserved both times Harry had been around him and he wondered what hid behind that stoic expression. Rosalie on the other hand, had been civil, but nothing more. Harry had likened her to Draco. She seemed a bit of a pampered princess, stuck in her own world really and Harry was anxious to see if that was a projected demeanor or if there was more beneath the surface.

The elder Cullen's, that Harry had yet to meet, were a mystery. Alice had said that Esme was a motherly sort, giving in her attention and love. Harry was not too embarrassed to say that that appealed to the little orphan boy inside of him. Dr. Cullen on the other hand, Harry knew nothing about, save that he was a doctor.

A family sounded nice; Harry hoped that they all liked him.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

When lunch time finally arrived, Harry was filled with barely contained energy. He could only think of one thing.

Edward.

If he didn't know the vampire was his mate, Harry might have been worried. The gorgeous vampire had plagued Harry thoughts since early morning. The young wizard walked into the cafeteria a little more confidently than the day before and quickly filled a tray with food. Turning around he heard Mike Newton say, "Hey Harry, over here."

Harry reluctant to go; he wanted to sit with the Cullen's, but was hesitant to just plop down at their table uninvited.

"Harry, why don't you sit with us today?" asked a familiar melodic voice from behind Harry.

Turning around, Harry smiled up at Edward and said, "I'd love to."

The two made their way over to the Cullen's table and Harry sent an apologetic look to Mike and his friends. Sitting down, he felt Edward sit right beside him, their bodies pressed together from shoulder to knee. Harry gave an involuntary shiver and his face blushed crimson again. Edward mouth turned up in a crooked smile at the shover, though Harry missed it as he was looking elsewhere.

From his view point, Harry could see most of the students looking at them and frowned. "Why are they staring at us?"

"Because we tend to keep to ourselves and they are wondering why you are sitting with us." Said Edward beside him.

"Oh."

Harry began eating his salad with determination. Since he had matured a bit, he had found he needed to care from his body better than he had done so in the past. Years of malnourishment had taken its toll on Harry's body. He was far shorter than most boys his age and even though he had gained muscle and definition of the last few years, he still was thin and underdeveloped in areas.

So now, instead of eating small quantities of unhealthy foods, he ate normal sized meals with healthy variety. This at times made Harry annoyed, as vegetables were never his favorite, but he persisted.

"Why do you guys bother with lunches?" Harry asked deciding honesty was better in the long run. He had noticed that the vampires had lunches, but never ate them. They sat mostly untouched and were thrown away before going onto the next class.

The five other occupants at the table turned to him and stared. Harry smiled coyly and said, "Well you're vampires after all, so you don't need that kind of food and it's kind of obvious you don't eat them anyways."

"How do you know were vampires?" Emmett asked cautiously.

"Well, I have met one before and I have also read about vampires in school." Harry replied, taking a bite of his food.

"You've met other vampires?" This was spoken by Jasper, the first time Harry had heard him speak.

"Yes, last year. A vampire by the name Sanguini." Harry answered. "To be honest he gave me the creeps and wasn't like you all, he fed on humans."

They stared at Harry wondering how he knew so much about them, well except for Alice. She seemed to have a knowing smile on her face.

"How did you know that?" Edward asked.

"My friend, Illyantia told me. I realized yesterday what you all were and was a little on edge." Harry said and then from their uncomfortable expressions, he continued on. "But, she set me straight. Told me about how there were vampires that lived on animal blood and you could tell by the eyes. Amber means that you live on animal blood, crimson on human blood."

"Who is Illyantia?" asked Edward.

"She is… I'm not sure exactly what she is really, but she said she was The Guardian of Lost Souls. Her people live in another plain of existence and kind of watch over us from afar."

Everyone had baffled looks on their faces and Harry laughed. "I know, completely barmy, but it's true. She saved me during the battle and brought me here."

"Battle?" Jasper perked up at the word in interest.

"Yeah, I guess I should tell you a little about myself, huh?"

They nodded their heads in agreement and Harry spoke. "Well, I am a wizard, I can perform magic… not pulling a bunny of out a hat kind of magic, but spells, potions, curses, that sort."

"Really? Awesome!" exclaimed Emmett.

Harry grinned and opened his mouth to speak again when the bell rang. Reluctantly, they began gathering their things and headed towards their next class. They said goodbye and Harry and Edward walked to the Biology class.

"I guess its good the bell rang, I wouldn't want to have to tell the whole story again once I meet your parents." Harry stated as they entered the class.

"Probably." Agreed Edward as he took his seat.

The class went by quickly, Harry and Edward having little chance to talk as the teacher commanded their attention most of the class. They sat beside each other and each often found the other staring at them. Harry would blush, while Edward would grin unashamedly. Before long, they were heading to the gym for their last class.

In gym, Harry found that some of the kids didn't like Harry paying so much attention to the Cullen's or vice versa. Jessica was frowning in annoyance; the fact that the two guys she liked and that paid absolutely no attention to her were friends was not sitting well with her. Mike Newton seemed to be annoyed that his popularity was in question and tried to use the physical sports as a way to show his masculine appeal.

Harry found it all hilarious. He was never one to strive for popularity or attention in the first place, he was glad he had chosen the right friends.

Finally, the class ended and Harry left the gym, anxious to go and meet Dr. and Mrs. Cullen.

"Ready Harry?" Edward asked as he walked up beside Harry and began to lead him towards the parking lot. Edward had placed his hand on the small of Harry's back and Harry smiled at the sensation that travelled up his spine.

"Yeah."

They walked out to the car and he saw that no one else was near it. "Where is everyone else?"

"They already left. They will be meeting us at home."

Nodding, Harry walked to the passenger side and found Edward there opening the door for him. "Thanks."

Edward walked around the car and got in. The car maneuvered out of the space and was soon on the freeway heading towards the outskirts of the small town.

Harry, on impulse, grabbed Edward's hand that was on the middle divider, threading his fingers through Edward's. Edward turned, smiling at Harry, and placed their intertwined hand on Edward's thigh. He laid Harry's hand palm down on the thigh and caressed Harry's hand absently. Their bond as mates was growing, a natural affection and pull, was forming quickly in the two people.

They sat in a comfortable silence during the ride to the Cullen home. Harry loved the beauty of the forest that surrounded Forks. The tall evergreens, that seemed to sprout up everywhere, gave a stunning timeless quality to the surrounding area. Before long, Edward turned onto a long gravel road. It went on for about a half of a mile and then the surround forest seemed to give way to a clearing that housed the most beautiful house Harry had ever seen. The old mansion looked like a small castle, with many different stories. The stone structure reminded him of Hogwarts in its beauty and Harry felt instantly at home.

The house was surrounded by a wild garden and the forest beyond. Flowers and trees abounded and Harry smiled.

"Edward, it's so beautiful!" Harry breathed in awe.

Edward laughed; glad to see his mate happy. Parking his car in front of the house, he quickly exited the car, he rounded it and pulled open Harry's door for him.

"You know, you don't have to open the door for me. I am a guy." Harry said slightly annoyed. It was nice to have someone that cared enough to take care of him like that, but he was able to open and close his own doors, thank you very much.

"Sorry." Edward said. The urge to take care of his mate was hard to ignore, even in the smallest of things.

Harry stepped out of the Volvo and saw that the Cullen family had come out to meet him at the car.

A tall blonde man that looked like he was in his late twenties stepped forward and held out his hand. "Hello, Harry. I am Carlisle Cullen; it is a pleasure to meet you."

Shaking his hand Harry said, "Hello, nice to meet you, Dr. Cullen."

"Please, call me Carlisle." He replied with a smile, turning he gestured behind him. "This is my wife, Esme Cullen."

A beautiful woman in her early twenties stepped away from the rest of the group and enveloped Harry in a hug. "Hello, dear. I am so glad to meet you!"

The woman had long caramel color hair, pale skin and amber eyes that were so warm and welcoming. Her smile was so comforting and loving, that Harry felt instantly at ease. Harry briefly closed his eyes as she hugged him, enjoying the rare hug. Harry had always been a little awkward with physical affection. Years of nothing, but slaps, punches and shoves from the Dursley's had taken the simple pleasure of a hug away from him. He felt peaceful and serene in the hug and was loath to end it. Finally he stepped back and said, "Thank you. I am happy to meet you to, Mrs. Cullen."

"Oh, call me Esme, please."

"Thank you, Esme." Harry said.

"I believe you know the rest of my family; Emmett Cullen and Rosalie Hale, Jasper Hale and Alice Cullen, and of course, Edward." Carlisle said.

Harry smiled at the younger Cullen's in greeting.

"Why don't we all go inside and get comfortable." Carlisle said and lead the way into the house.

As soon as they entered, Esme asked, "Are you hungry, Harry?"

"Oh, no that's alright, I don't want you to go to any trouble." Harry answered.

"It's not any trouble, I love to cook. I will just go and fix something real quick. Is there anything you want specifically?" She asked.

"No, I will pretty much eat anything you put in front of me." Harry said with a smile.

"Okay, well have a seat and I will be right out."

She hurried off to kitchen, humming as she went. Esme had the same motherly concern stitched into her being as Mrs. Weasley had. Harry smiled sadly at the loss of the affection she had showered on Harry. Though the end of his relationship with the Weasley's had been hell, they had always been kind to him up until the end. Then, it seemed as if they had grown all new personalities overnight and the replacements were none to kind to Harry.

The sadness coming off of Harry did not go unnoticed by the Cullen's and they all frowned.

"Why don't we go into the living room?" Carlisle encouraged and headed into the living room, gesturing for Harry to take a seat on the couch.

Harry sat down and Edward did so beside him, laying an arm along the couch just above Harry's shoulders.

"How have you found Forks so far, Harry?" Carlisle asked after everyone had sat.

"It's nice. It reminds me of home; the rainy weather and the forest around."

Esme came into the living room and placed a plate filled with food and a glass of ice tea on the coffee table in front of him. The plate had several sandwiches and fruit and cheese. There was way more than he could possibly eat in one sitting.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, it's not much, but I will go out tomorrow and stock up on more food for when you are here!" Esme said kindly and sat down beside her husband.

"You really don't need to do that. It would be a waste as most of it wouldn't be eaten." Harry tried to persuade her.

"It is no trouble, I like to be a good hostess and food is a big part of that. Now that we will have someone visiting that does eat I will keep the kitchen stocked." Esme said in a soft, but matter of fact voice.

Harry smiled and began eating, as he did so he realized he was hungrier than he had thought.

"So what brings you to Forks?" Carlisle asked.

Harry, in the middle of chewing a bite of his sandwich, started at the question and choked for a second. Harry coughed and took a sip to ease the food down. He wasn't sure how to answer the question. The only reason he was there in Forks was for them… how do you explain that?

"Um, well, it's a little complicated." Harry replied.

"I didn't mean to pry, if you don't want to answer that is fine." Carlisle stated.

"No, it's not that I don't want to tell you, completely the opposite, I am just not sure how to go about it?" Harry knew the story of his life was the only way to fully explained everything about why he was there.

"I have always found starting at the beginning helps." Carlisle said.

"Okay." Harry said as he sat back and got comfortable. "I will just give you the shortened version, because we would be here for days otherwise, even still it will take a few hours…"

The Cullen's smiled and waited for Harry to begin.

"I was born to James and Lily Potter and for the first year and a half of my life everything was perfect. Well nearly. There was a truly evil dark wizard during that time who felt that only those pure of blood should be able to wield magic. By that, he meant wizards and witches that were born to parents that came from magical families. He felt that half-blood's, like myself, muggleborn's(those that were born to completely non-magical families) and magical creatures, shouldn't be allowed to use magic. He had followers, called Death Eaters, that were fanatical and were intent on riding the world of those they felt were inferior then them. They killed and terrorized all across the U.K. and they were gaining in force."

"However, about a year after I was born a Seer made a prophesy about the dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, and someone who would have the power to defeat him."

Harry closed his eyes and recited the version of the prophesy he was told in the beginning.

_"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies."_

___The Cullen family sat astonished at what Harry was telling them. _

_"__So you were the one to defeat him?" asked Jasper._

_"__Well, actually it could have been me or my friend Neville. We both fit the prophesy, but for whatever reason, Voldemort chose me. At the time, my parents were in hiding, trying to keep me safe from him. But, they were betrayed by a friend and on October 31____st____, 1981 he came to kill me. My father stayed behind to keep Voldemort busy and told my mum to run and get me to safety. Voldemort quickly killed my father and went after us next. He told my mum that if she just left me, she could live, but she wouldn't do it. She put herself in front of me and he killed her. But, what he didn't know is that when she gave her life for mine, because she loved me so much, she unknowingly cast a powerful blood magic protection spell on me. So when he cast the Avada Kevadra, the killing curse, on me the curse backfired and ripped his soul from his body, killing the body and his soul drifted away. The curse, though stopped, left a scar, marking me as the one to defeat him."_

___Harry lifted his bangs and showed them his lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead and continued. _

_"__The blood magic from my mum protected me, as long as I a blood relative gave me a home. Dumbledore, a powerful light wizard had me rescued from my parents destroyed home and had me sent to my only living relatives. The Dursleys. My mum's sister, Petunia Dursley hated magic as my mother was the only one in the family who could do it. She and her husband and their son spent the next ten years making sure I knew how much they hated __freaks____ like me who could do magic."_

___Harry heard growling and looked up and found all of the Cullen's on edge, even Rosalie. They could hear how much they had mistreated him. Edward had wrapped his arm around Harry, rubbing his lower back, trying to comfort Harry. Esme had her hand covering her mouth in horror; the thought of anyone treating a child in such a way was unthinkable to her. _

_"__They lied to me and told me my father had been drunk and crashed our family car, killing my mum and dad and giving me the scar on my forehead. I was never told the truth or that I was a wizard. They made me live in a small cupboard under the stairs, hardly feeding me and treating me like a parasite on their good nature. I was made to clean, cook and garden from the age of five on, I was never addressed as anything other than Boy or Freak. But, then shortly before I turned eleven, a letter came. It was addressed to '_Mr. H. Potter, The Cupboard Under the Stairs, 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey.' It was an acceptance letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy. The Dursleys of course, didn't want anything to do with it, so my uncle ignored the letter. However, each day more came and with it more owls. You see in the wizarding world, we send post by owls. So every day more and more would come, he was so mad he even nailed the mail slot closed to keep the mail out."

Harry laughed as he remembered how angry his uncle got and the letters still came.

"Finally, he packed us all up and had us go to a deserted island off of the coast to hide away from the letters. It was the night of my eleventh birthday and as usual they ignored it. I was up late as I always waited until 12:01 to wish happy birthday to myself. But, as the clock struck midnight a great big boom hit the door to the cabin we were in. Everyone woke up and came running in. Then the door flew open, falling to the ground and their stood this tall half-giant by the name of Ruebeus Hadgrid. He was over ten feet tall and had a great big booming voice, but was the first friend I ever made. In both the wizarding world and the muggle. He was kind and gentle, and he took me away from the Dursleys and introduced me to the wizarding world."

Harry smiled, remembering that first day with Hadgrid.

"Was he really that big? I've never heard of giants before." Asked Emmett. The awe in his voice made Harry laugh.

"Yes, his mother was a full blooded giant, his father a wizard." Harry answered. "So he took me to Diagon Alley, it was basically a shopping outlet for magical people, but it had been around for hundreds of years. It was guarded by magic, so the muggle world doesn't know it's there. He showed me all around and bought me my first gift, a snowy white owl named Hedwig. He took me to the wizarding bank where the goblins showed me the inheritance I received from my parents. While I was there I met a boy who was everything I never wanted to be; a spoiled rich prat who thought he was better than everyone else because he was a pureblood. His name was Draco Malfoy and his father, Lucius Malfoy was a Death Eater, one of Voldemort's most trusted followers. Draco was offered me friendship, making it seem as if he was offering me the world, he was a pureblood after all and I was a nobody. I chose to not take his friendship and in doing so created a feud that lasted six and a half years. When, the day was over Hagrid had to take me back to the Dursley's, but promised he would be back to take me to the train to Hogwarts on the day school started. After that day, I couldn't wait to leave; it was another month until he took me to Kings Cross Station in London. I met a wizarding family by the name of Weasley and they showed me how to get to the Platform 9 and ¾. It was a magically guarded place again, so I had to be told how to get to it. They were nice and I made friends with their youngest son, Ron Weasley who was just starting at Hogwarts too. Later I met Hermione Granger, the two of them would end up being my best friends the first five years of my time in the wizarding world."

"While the train took us to Hogwarts which was in Scotland, Ron told me about the Wizarding world. It seemed I was somewhat of a celebrity as the only person ever to survive the killing curse. I was dubbed, The-Boy-Who-Lived or the savior of the wizarding world some said. Ron was star struck by me, Harry Potter, the one who killed the greatest dark lord there had ever been. I hated the attention; it made me uncomfortable how much everyone seemed to look up to me. That was how most of my first year went; I was made a celebrity because of something I really had no control over. Through the year, strange things were happening Unicorns were being killed-"

"Unicorns? No way!" Emmett exclaimed, everyone laughed and Harry spoke again.

"Yes, there are a lot of magical creatures; like unicorns, dragon, centaurs, merpeople, vampires like your selves. The magical community keeps everything hidden because of fear of what muggles would do if they found out about us all."

"That is all truly amazing… I never imagined in all my years knew such a world existed beyond mine!" Said Carlisle, the rest nodding in agreement.

"I felt just like all of you when I first found out." Harry agreed. "Anyways, during my first year something was killing the Unicorns in the Forbidden Forest near the school and drinking their blood. It is a crime against nature to do so, as they are a pure and innocent creature. Their blood will keep you from death as long as you drink it, but that life will be a half-life, a cursed life. As it turned out, it was the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Quirell. He was also after the Philosopher's Stone, it is a stone that makes the Elixir of Life, granting immortality to those who drink it. Near the end of the year, Ron, Hermione and I realized what was happening and tried to stop him from getting the stone. At the end, it was just me against Quirell. What I didn't know was that Voldemort's soul had possessed the professor and he was trying to come back. We fought and during it I touched the professor, and in doing so, Voldemort as well. The protection my mum gave me was pure love and Voldemort, a truly evil being, couldn't bear my touch. It burned him alive, reducing him to ash, but again, his soul was released from the body, floating away to bother me again sometime soon."

"Wow, you have a truly remarkable life…" Carlisle said softly.

"And that was only my first year!" Harry said with a laugh.

* * *

A/N: I hope to have the second part to this chapter up soon… I have a writing bug that seems to have infected me and I can't stop writing. Good for you guys, I guess!!

~Caprilyeous~


	5. Getting to Know You Part 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or Twilight, nor the characters from these stories. I do not make any profit from these writings.  
**Rating:** PG-13

**Chapter 5: Getting to Know You - Part 2**

"During the summer between my first and second year, I spent most of it at the Dursleys. First thing they did was lock away everything from the magical world even my books and wand, even though I needed to finish the homework assigned during summer. They begrudgingly allowed me to stay in their son Dudley's second bedroom. It was filled with things like old broken toys, books that had never been opened, a computer that Dudley had broken in a fit of rage. Everything was left; I wasn't allowed to touch it even if Dudley no longer wanted it. I was locked in the bedroom save for when I was doing chores or using the restroom. I was fed on mostly bread and water through a flap in the door, like a prisoner. Well, I was a prisoner; they had put bars on the window to keep me from getting out. I wasn't allowed to send letters to my friends or respond to their letters. Then a week or so before the start of school, Ron and his twin brothers Fred and George decided they were going to rescue me. So they stole their father's muggle car that he had charmed to fly and came to break me out. They did it quietly during the night, getting my things locked away. But, the Dursleys heard and came barging into the bedroom and we barely got out of there in time. So I went to stay with the Weasley's until school started."

"You rode in a flying car? How cool is that!" Emmet said. "Do you think you could maybe, you know, fiddle around with our cars… it would be awesome if we could fly around!"

"No, I don't know how to do it, wouldn't even know where to begin…" Harry laughed and said, "So, in my second year at Hogwarts, I was a little more prepared for my life in the wizarding world. I was welcomed into the Weasley family and Ron, Hermione and I had become best mates. Before the beginning of the school term, The Weasley's took their children, Hermione and I to Diagon Alley to shop for our school supplies for the new term. While we were at Flourish and Blott's, a book store, we found a man by the name Gilderoy Lockhart signing autographs and giving a speech. It seemed he was a famed author of books on magical creatures and was a celebrity, at least in his own mind. He was a pompous windbag who delighted in the attention the public gave him. As it turned out he was the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, as obviously Quirell was no longer. During this time the Malfoys came into the shop and caused a scene by demeaning the Weasley family. The Weasley's though pureblood, were very poor and were known as blood traitors by other purebloods. They were kind and open to all people, whether they were pureblood, half-blood or magical creatures. A fight broke out between Mr. Weasley and Lucius Malfoy, and Ginny Weasley's books were sent flying. In the hustle Lucius Malfoy slipped an unknown book into Ginny's other things."

"What was in the book?" Jasper asked.

"It was a diary filled with blank pages, that if you wrote in it, you could talk to a person incased in the book. It was a 17 year old boy by the name of Tom Riddle who would one day become Lord Voldemort-"

"No way…" Emmett said excitedly, Harry story was keeping him very entertained.

Laughing Harry said, "Yes. Even as a teenager, he was a dark wizard and before graduating from Hogwarts he created the diary, which was called a Horcrux. It was essentially a part of Voldemort's soul held within the diary. The only way to create one is by killing, the act of killing causes a split in your soul and you can create a horcrux. This of course is Dark Magic and is banned, more so, it is viewed as such an unspeakable thing that very few people know about it. Voldemort created the diary so that if he ever died he could be reborn, fully grown and aware of the previous life. During this year, there was talk of a place in Hogwarts created by one of its founders, Salazar Slytherin, a thousand years ago. It was called the Chamber of Secrets and only the Heir of Slytherin could open it. A while into the term, Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's cat, was found petrified and written in blood on the wall behind her was a warning. It said that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened and enemies of the Heir beware."

"Enemies?" Edward questioned.

"Salazar Slytherin was a known blood purist and so it was saying that muggleborns were next. Soon, a muggle born student and a ghost were found petrified. Petrification does not kill a person; it only keeps them in stasis. There was a potion that could reverse the effects but, it was going to take months to brew. When this happened, Professor Lockhart convinced Headmaster Dumbledore to create a dueling club to prepare students for the danger around the school. He had so far been completely useless as a professor and as a dueling instructor he was just as bad. I was paired to duel Draco. We fought sending spells at each other. Then Draco did a spell to create a snake to attack me. The snake became distracted by a nearby student and posed to attack the student. I stepped in to try and keep the snake away and told it to leave him alone. The snake after several attempts was destroyed by another professor, Snape. He was a man that had gone to school with my father and had a similar relationship to him as I had to Draco, hate. He made my life as horrible as possible."

Harry frowned in thought at the relationship similarities between Harry and Draco and his father and Snape. Would they have been able to get past the animosity like Draco and he? If they had overlooked their differences and ignored their pride, would it have happened? Harry would have never of thought so a few years ago, but it was an interesting thought.

"Back on track though… so when the snake disappeared I realized everyone was looking at me. Most in fear and Ron and Hermione told me I had been talking to the snake, in parseltongue. The snake language-"

"Okay, this I've got to hear!" Emmett said.

Harry rolled his eyes, but spoke, "Thisss isss sstupid and I feel ridiculousss."

"What did you say, it was all hissing to us?" Asked Carlisle.

"I said 'This is stupid and I feel ridiculous.'"

"Wow, so you can really speak to snakes? That's cool." Said Emmett.

Harry nodded and continued. "So apparently, Parselmouth is considered a dark gift as Salazar Slytherin could speak it as well as Voldemort. It was a rare gift and beside Voldemort no one had been able to speak it for hundreds of years. This was when the school began to think I was the Heir of Slytherin, out to kill all muggleborn's in the school."

"But, you're a half-blood too!" Esme retorted angerly.

"They weren't thinking about that, they just wanted someone to blame for their fear. So I kind of became an outcast, besides my close friends. Another student was petrified and there was talk of closing the school to keep the students safe. One night as I was returning to the dorm from a detention (Harry smiled and blushed as Esme scolded him) and I heard a noise. It was a voice that was broken, hissing and I heard a voice talking about killing and ripping things apart; it was hungry and looking for food to eat. I couldn't figure out where the voice was coming from as I was in a deserted corridor and nothing was nearby. I told Hermione and Ron, they thought it was odd and maybe I was losing my mind hearing a voice in my head. By this time we were searching to find out who had opened the Chamber and what was petrifying the students. Then, Hermione was petrified, in her hand was a mirror and a note that said 'pipes.' We began to realize the voice I heard was a Basilisk; a giant snake that was magical. It was able to kill by just looking into its eyes. Lucky for the petrified students, they had all not looked directly into its eyes, rather in a mirror, or a camera lens, or through a ghost. This was the only thing that saved them."

The Cullens were transfixed by Harry's telling and listened avidly for more.

"Another message in blood was found a few weeks later, it said 'Her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever.' Ginny Weasley was down in the chamber slowly dying, guarded by the basilisk. A while later, it came to light that Hagrid was arrested for opening the chamber. It seemed that when Hagrid was younger, he was blamed for the last time the chamber was open. It was also during the time that Voldemort, then Tom Riddle, was attending the school. It was he who opened the chamber and blamed Hagrid. The teacher's who had been fed up with Lockhart horrible teaching and annoying personality, told him to go find the Chamber after he boasted that he knew where it was. Lockhart, ever the coward was attempting to flee, when Ron and I forced him to find the chamber with us. In a bit of luck, we found the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets; so Ron, Gilderoy Lockhart and I went into the chamber. After a cave in, cause by Lockhart which wiped his memory after a bad spell, I was left to go on to save Ginny."

"It was something to do with the diary, wasn't it?" Alice asked.

"Yes. She was being possessed by Voldemort and wrote the message herself and then went down into the chamber at his command. So when I found Ginny she was nearly dead, the life being drained from her into a body being formed for Voldemort. I fought the basilisk, killing it with a sword brought to me by Fawkes, a Phoenix, but the basilisk punctured me with one of its fangs. The fang was poisonous and I could feel it taking my strength. But, a Phoenix's tears are able to heal wounds and Fawkes cried into the wound healing it. I cried out and stabbed the fang into the diary by Ginny and Tom Riddle disappeared as the horcrux was destroyed. Ginny began coming back and was saved. The year ended and I again went back to the Dursleys, not matter how much the Weasleys insisted I come to stay with them, Dumbledore said I was to return to them because it was the only way to keep the blood protection."

"Okay, that was awesome! On to the next year!" Emmett exclaimed.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

After a short break, for Harry to go use the restroom, he came back and smiled at the eager faces looking up at him.

"In my third year a mass murderer by the name Sirius Black, broke out of Azkaban Prison. It is a wizarding prison guarded by beings called dementors if around you, they cause the air to go cold and they feed off of your happy memories, making you relive the worst memory of your life over and over. Sirius Black was convicted of killing 12 muggles and another wizard by the name of Peter Pettigrew on the night my parents died, he was said to be the one who betrayed my parents to Voldemort. During this year, I met another friend of my parents, Remus Lupin and he was our new Defense Against the Dark arts teacher-"

"They don't seemed to last very long, dear." Esme said.

Harry laughed and said, "Yes. They don't. It was actually because a curse was put on the position by Voldemort years ago, just after he graduated Hogwarts. He wanted the position and was denied by Dumbledore."

"So obviously not a happy person!" Emmett said sarcastically.

"That's an understatement! During my third year, the dementors stayed around Hogwarts as they knew Sirius Black would be coming for me and there were many problems with them getting too close to the students. It was also during that year that Professor Lupin told me a lot about my parents and about how much they loved me and would be proud of who I had become. I hadn't really heard any specifics about them too much and I loved the time we spent together. He gave me extra training out of class, teaching me how to perform a patronus to protect myself from dementors."

"What is that?" Carlisle questioned.

"It is a spell using your happiest memory to cast a protection against the dementors sucking the happiness from you. Hear, I'll show you…"

Harry stood up away from everyone and pulled out his wand from his arm holster. Thinking about Edward as his mate he cried "Expecto Patronum!" From his wand burst a glowing white stag that cantered around the room and then came back to Harry and then disappeared. The Cullens were all grinning at the first bit of magic Harry had done for them and were amazed.

"Wow!" Jasper and Emmett said, while Alice and Esme clapped in excitement.

Harry walked back to his seat and a grinning Edward put his arm back around him. "He taught me that as it is the only way to protect yourself from having your soul sucked out by the dementors. It is called 'the kiss' and it takes your soul, leaving an empty body alive and breathing, but nothing going on up in the brain."

Everyone's eyes grew large as he spoke, the vision of such a creature running through their heads.

"Through the rest of the year there were sightings of Sirius Black, but also a large black shaggy dog as well. He broke into the castle one night and tried to get to my dorm, but was unsuccessful. Then near the end of the year, Ron's pet rat Scabbers tried to run away from him while we were outside. Ron caught him, but then that big black dog came and bit Ron's leg dragging him into a tunnel under a large Whomping Willow tree near the school. Hermione and I ran after him, chasing them trying to free Ron. We ended up in an old abandoned shack near the school and found him in a room, his leg broken and the dog growling at Ron. The dog slowly changed form into Sirius Black, the escaped prisoner. He seemed crazy; he wanted to kill Scabbers saying he was finally going to kill him after being convicted of the crime already. Then Remus Lupin burst into the room and we thought we were saved, a teacher had come to help us, but he knew Sirius and hugged him saying he was sorry he didn't believe Sirius-"

"WHAT?!" Yelled everyone, well nearly everyone, Rosalie was a little more reserved.

"Yes, he said he was sorry he didn't believe and that he would help Sirius. I got mad; the man I trusted was betraying me as well as my parents' memory by siding with Sirius Black. They began telling me about Peter Pettigrew and how my father, Sirius and Peter became animagi. An animagus is when a wizard changes form into an animal that most exemplifies their strongest characteristic. My father was a stag, Sirius a large black dog and Peter a rat."

"What was Remus?" Asked Jasper.

"He wasn't one, because he was a werewolf. He changed into one every full moon and they all changed together to keep him company during it. Sirius then began to tell me that he had not been the one to betray my parents, it had been Peter. Who then framed Sirius for the murder of 12 muggles and his own death and then hid away as a rat, Scabbers. I didn't know who to believe and then they got Scabbers and used a spell to change him into his human form and it all became clear. I was so angry, I wanted to kill him and so did Remus and Sirius. However, I couldn't do it and I couldn't let them either-"

"Why, he killed your parents; well as good as!" Said Rosalie

"I knew my parents wouldn't have wanted their best friends to become murderers. So we tied him up and we were going to take him to the Ministry of Magic to have Sirius cleared of the conviction against him. As we walked to the castle Sirius told me that he was my godfather and asked if I wanted to live with him; he said we could be a family. I was so happy, I was going to have a family, but, it didn't last… It was a full moon and Remus lost track of time, changing into the werewolf. Sirius changed into the dog to protect us from Remus. On the night of the full moon, the werewolf takes over and he becomes a feral killer. There is potion that allows Remus to keep his mind while as a werewolf, but he wasn't able to take the potion that night. In the fight to stay alive, Peter Pettigrew got free and was gone. I followed them into the forest to help Sirius and found him surrounded by hundreds of dementors as they were attempting to perform the kiss. I tried to save him, but they overwhelmed me and just before I blacked out I saw a figure across the pond casting the patronus. It looked like my father, before he died."

Harry remembered the chill that had swarmed him that night and the happiness being sucked from him. He had watched as Sirius' soul began to leave his body and he had feared the worst. As he had blacked out for a moment he had really thought somehow his father had come back and rescued them.

"When I came to, I found out that the Ministry had come at the last moment, after the dementors had left. After Sirius' breakout they decided to give him the kiss. With Dumbledore and Hermione's help, we used a time-turner and went back to save him."

"A time-turner?" asked Edward from beside Harry. Harry realized as he looked at Edward that he had sometime during the story leaned into Edward's body, resting his head on Edward's shoulder. The way he had done so, without even realizing it surprised him. Their bond was growing quickly and he smiled.

"Um, it's a tool used to travel back in time-"

"You guys have the coolest toys!" Emmett said as Jasper was nodded vigorously beside him.

"We went back in time to save him and I went back to the pond to see if it really was my father. I waited until the last moment, but he didn't arrive and then I realized it had been me that had saved us, not my father. I saved us, but we weren't able to recapture Peter Pettigrew. So, Sirius had to go on the run again, though this time he had Remus. I wasn't able to live with them, but I hoped for the day when he was cleared and that was the end of my third year. After the term ended I went back to the Dursleys even more reluctantly. Just before I had been offered a home and a family and then it was taken from me. Dumbledore wouldn't hear of anything else, no matter what anyone said. He was the Headmaster of Hogwarts and a powerful wizard for the side of light; no one ignored what he had to say."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Harry had rearranged himself to get more comfortable, leaning fully against Edward now, his head nestled on Edward's chest. Edward had his arm around Harry's back and the other interlinked their hands together, resting on the marbled abdomen below.

"My fourth year was the year that the Tri-Wizard Tournament came to Hogwarts. It was a contest between the three biggest schools around the world. Each school had a champion to compete, because of how dangerous the competition is and the deaths in the past competitions; they only were allowing students who had reached 17, which is the age of adulthood in the wizarding world. The schools brought several advanced students to put their names in to compete; the names were put into a magic goblet that would randomly choose the champions. The champions chosen were Fleur Delacour from Beauxbaton's Academy, Viktor Krum from Dumstrang, Cedric Diggory from Hogwarts..." Harry had to stop for a second; the pain of Cedric's death even years later was still very fresh. He felt waves of calm coming over him and breathed a sigh of relief, then said, "and me…"

"I thought you said there were only three schools with one champion each?" Asked Carlisle.

"Yes, there was and the first three should have been it, but someone put my name in the goblet and used very advanced magic to make it choose a fourth champion. The adults were in an outrage, as well as the students, everyone felt I put my name in and forced it to pick me for more attention. They wanted to remove me from competing and I was more than willing to do that; I never wanted the fame of the championship. However, the goblet was a magically binding spell and once my name was picked there was no going back."

"But, you were only fourteen!" Exclaimed Esme, the fear of the motherly woman was plain on her face.

"Didn't make a difference… so I became the only ever fourth champion. The press came to interview us, the woman's name was Rita Skeeter and she felt it was her duty to find the juiciest stories and make them even more so. She pushed me into a closet and tried to get as much out of me as possible before Dumbledore came along. She wrote a lot of lies about me as The-Boy-Who-Lived and the fourth champion. It made the students hate me even more. During this time we had our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Moody, start teaching. He was a grouchy old man who spent his life in the cause of fighting dark wizards. He had been an Auror until he retired."

At the question in their eyes, Harry elaborated. "An Auror is the equivalent of a police officer in the magical world. He showed us more than we had learned in the last two years combined, some things were questionable. He showed us the Unforgiveables."

"What are they?" Asked Jasper.

"They are three of the darkest spells in the wizarding world. There is the Cruciatus curse, it is a curse that inflects pain in every cell of your being and if used too long will take a person's mind from them. They lose the ability to think logically, remember their lives and are put in the care of caregivers for the rest of their lives. Then the Imperius Curse, used on another person you can control them; what they do in every way possible. Having them commit murder, rape, killing themselves, lie, cheat, steal, anything. There are those who if they have a strong enough mind can fight the cruse, but not many can do that. The last is the Killing Curse or the Avada Kedavra. I am the only one to ever survive it. If you are hit with it you are dead. These are illegal in the wizarding world."

"Have you ever had those done on you, besides the killing curse, obviously?" Emmett asked.

"I have had all three used on me." At the gasped from the group he nodded solemnly. "The cruciatus has been used on me many times over the years and the pain is unbearable, it feels as if your entire body is on fire and nothing you do eases the pain. The Imperius Curse was used on me at the end of the fourth year, but let me tell you how it came to that."

"The tournament was set up all through the year so for a few months life was fairly regular, except for the most of student population hating me for stealing Cedric's thunder. Draco Malfoy created these badges that everyone wore that alternated from 'Cedric Diggory, Hogwarts True Champion' to 'Potter Stinks.' He was his usual git self, always trying to make those around him feel inferior. During that time Ron was jealous that I entered without telling him, he wouldn't believe no matter how many times I told him otherwise. So he didn't speak to me for a while, except to get angry with me. Cedric didn't believe I would do it, so he was rather nice and we ended up helping each other during the tasks. When the first task arrived Hagrid pulled me aside and told me that the first task involved dragons-"

"Dragon's? Like ones from the fairytales?" Emmett questioned.

"Yeah, I told Cedric about the task and soon it was time. We were supposed to get a golden egg from the dragon by whatever means we could. So when my turn came, I summoned my broom and proceeded to fly using my skills on a broom to help me. The dragon was the meanest one of the four there and the biggest. It was forty feet from head to tail and twenty feet tall. It took a while and a few burns from the dragon's fire, but I got the egg. The second task came a few months later, it involved the egg somehow, but I was having trouble finding out how it was involved. Cedric ended up giving me a clue and I found you had to open up the egg underwater. Outside of the water, the egg opened screeched like a banshee. However, underwater, it was a beautiful song sung by merpeople, telling that they had taken what we sorely missed and we had an hour to find it. The task was to retrieve the item from somewhere at the bottom of Black Lake."

"How were you going to get down to the bottom?" Jasper asked.

"We had to figure out a way. My friend Neville got me something called Gillyweed. Ingested gives you gills and webbed fingers and toes; lasting for about an hour or so. The task began and after several obstacles, I swam to the bottom and found four people tied to weights. It was Ron and Hermione, as well as two other students. I grabbed Ron and got him to the surface, but there was a problem and I went under and got a second person after one of the champions couldn't go on."

"How could they breathe under there?" Said Edward.

"I'm not sure what they did, some kind of spell like petrification or the like. So the task was over and Ron and I were friends again." Answered Harry. "The next task was the last and the hardest. It was a huge maze made of hedges about ten feet tall. We had to get through the maze, at night while battling obstacles along the way. About an hour in, I heard a scream from Fleur, but nothing came of it. A while later, I heard someone being attack and rushed to get to them. It was Cedric, he was being crucio'd by Viktor Krum, one of the other champions. I sent a stupefy spell at him, making him unable to move, he fell and Cedric slowly got up. I sent a signal for Krum to be collected and we separately went on our way. Towards the end we helped each other beat the final obstacle; it was a gigantic spider about the size of the dragons we fought. Finally we got to the end where the Tri-Wizard Cup was placed. We both felt each other helped the other too much to take the cup ourselves so we agreed to share the title of Tri-Wizard Champion. So we both grabbed it and as soon as we did it took us to a dark and silent graveyard halfway across the country."

"How could it do that?" Asked Carlisle.

"It was a portkey. It is a means of travelling for wizards. At a designated time or touch, the object takes you to certain place. It is instant travel and can be used by many people at one time. Cedric and I had no idea where we were or why we were there, but it wasn't for the tournament…" Harry now had tears trailing downs his cheeks, unnoticed by the young wizard who was trapped in the vision from the past. "We took out our wands and then something came out of the fog. It was a Death Eater and he was holding something in his arms. I felt a horrible pain that felt like it was splitting my forehead in two and I fell to the ground, dropping my wand as I cried out. The scar, whenever Voldemort is near or feels his emotions strongly I can feel it in scar; the pain is horrible and the connection to him that I have is worse. Then a voice, not from the death eater, said to… the voice said to…"

Stopping Harry turned his faced into Edward's chest, hiding away from the faces in front of him. They all held looks of horror and empathy, his tears affecting them all. He felt a movement to his side and turned back around to see Esme beside him as she took him into a comforting embrace and allowed him to cry. For a few minutes the pain of all he had gone through came to the surface and he cried for the years spent abused, the loss of his parents, Cedric, Ginny, the Weasley's abandoning him… everything was a raw open wound that felt like salt was being poured in to it. Finally he turned to, still in Esme's arms and spoke again.

"The voice said to 'Kill the spare' and the Death Eater sent a killing curse at Cedric before we could even move. I screamed as he fell to the ground, his eyes open, but dead. He didn't even have a chance to defend himself… I was then tied to a gravestone that said 'Tom Riddle' on it and then I had to watch while the Death Eater used Voldemort's dead father's bones, my blood unwillingly given and the Death Eater's hand given willingly, to resurrect Voldemort. When it was done he had a corporeal body and was alive again. He then took the wand the Death Eater had been using, which was Voldemort's original wand since Hogwarts and sent for his minions, Death eater after Death Eater popped into the graveyard by aparation." Harry paused for a moment and then said, "Oh, aparation is something wizards can do; it is a form of teleportation. There were dozens of them and they surrounded the graveyard. Voldemort began to taunt me and cast the Cruciatus on me many times. He told me how he had a faithful Death Eater hidden in Hogwarts that masterminded my being in the tournament and getting me there to the graveyard for Voldemort to be reborn. He used his wand to untie me from the headstone and he had a Death eater give me a wand. He wanted to make me duel him, he wanted to feel that he bested me; Savior of the Wizarding World, the one who had beat him before. We fought and I evaded some spells, but he crucio'd me, he tried to make me given in to him, breaking my will, but I wouldn't. So, he cast the Imperius Curse on me."

Esme rubbed his back lovingly while Edward held his hand and Harry felt brave enough to keep going on.

"I felt like I was weightless, floating and blissful. Then I slowly began to feel like I should say no; that I shouldn't be so calm and I tried to break free from the curse. I wouldn't give in and broke free from the spell. He tried to crucio me again, but I dived away from the curse. We sent one last curse at each other, his was the killing curse, mine was a disarming spell. Somehow, our spells collided, fusing together and creating a dome of light around us. Voldemort still wanting to feel like he was the better wizard, commanded his people to do nothing, that he would kill me. Then from his wand came light shooting out that formed into ghosts of people he had killed. There was Cedric and many I recognized and then came my dad and mum…"

"Oh, sweetheart…" Murmured Esme as she pulled Harry closer to her.

"It was so fast and I had wanted to know them for so long, missed them even if I didn't remember them. I wish that we had had more time, that I could have talked to them, but they told me they could keep him there, but only long enough for me to get away. Cedric asked me to take his body back to his father and I promised him. Then I pulled free and dived for Cedric's body, summoned the portkey to me and it took us back to the place it should have in the first place. The crowd cheered as we arrived, but soon they realized what was wrong and I told Dumbledore that Voldemort was back. The Minister of Magic, who is a complete idiot, was afraid of the public's reaction and tried to make me seem as if I was ill and didn't know what I was saying. I was rushed away by Professor Moody and taken to his office. He then pointed his wand at me and I realized he was the Death Eater. Later I would find out it wasn't the real Mad-Eye Moody, but an impostor. He told me how he got me to his master and how great Voldemort was, the most powerful wizard ever. Then just before he fired a curse at me, Dumbledore and several of the professors came in and disarmed him. Then soon my year was over and I was back to the Dursleys again for another summer of their horrible treatment."

"I'm so sorry, dear. You have gone through so much and I can't do anything about it. I can't take the pain, even though I would if I could." Esme said quietly and Harry cried silently in her arms.

"Thank you. I am use to it by now, it is just the way my life is…" Harry murmured.

Edward was trying hard to keep his rage held back. The thought of his mate being tortured and having to watch a friend die in front of his eyes, made Edward want to rip the offenders limb from limb. The call to protect his mate was strong and he was waiting for the moment to do so in the future. The war his family would become involved in would assure that.

"You shouldn't half to get used to it, Harry. That Dumbledore should have made better arrangements to keep you safe, that awful family was abusing you mentally and physically, he should have placed your well being above that of the protection charm. What use was that when you were being destroyed slowly from the very same people who supposedly protected you?" Carlisle said emphatically.

"Every time he sent me back, every time I said how much I hated that place and those people, he said it's was for 'The Greater Good.' My safety was paramount, no matter what. Sirius and Remus tried to find a away to have me live with them, they lived in a placed protected nearly as strongly as Hogwarts, but Dumbledore always had a reason for me staying there. I could read in Sirius and Remus' letters how much they wanted me there, they wanted to be a family and it killed them they couldn't give that to me. Sirius was still wanted and couldn't try to get legal custody."

"Are they together? Mates?" Asked Esme.

Harry smiled and nodded. "They had been in love with each other since they were teenagers. But they for whatever reason never seem to realize the other felt the same way. Then the war came and everyone was on edge, it was hard to even trust your closest friends and family. Everyone was worried Voldemort had their loved ones under the imperius or that they may have switched sides. Remus, Sirius, my dad and mum all knew someone was feeding information on them to Voldemort, but they weren't sure who it was. Then when my parents died and Sirius went to prison Remus spent 12 years thinking the worse of Sirius. But, they survived and after he escaped Sirius and Remus finally decided they had wasted enough of their lives without each other."

"That's beautiful and heartbreaking; to hear they lost so much time because they didn't say enough to one another…" Esme said.

"Yeah, but when I left they were absolutely in love. They listen to each other, are constantly showing how much they love each other, even if it's a quick hug before they leave. I think that is how love is supposed to be, kind of two halves making a whole being…" Harry said quietly, and then the smiles directed at him made him blush and he cleared his throat. "Well, that was the end of my fourth year."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"In the summer before my fifth year, the Ministry began to publicly denounce that Voldemort had returned, they and the press made it seem as if I was seeking attention or stark raving mad. The press painted me as an unstable child who was a danger to those around me. It seemed like every day a new article came out on how I was dangerous or crazy or starved for more of the lime light that I received as The-Boy-Who-Lived. The public soon followed suit for the most part, some believed I was telling the truth, but the Ministry kept that quiet. Dumbledore sided with me and told anyone and everyone that war was coming. The Minister was afraid of Dumbledore, worried that the older wizard would try to take his place as Minister of Magic. Dumbledore was a powerful wizard and was feared by many. He had Dumbledore removed from certain high ranking ministry committees and tried to make him seen as if the old wizard was going senile."

"Shortly before school began I was out one night at a park near the Dursley home. Dudley and his cronies had found me and wanted to play their favorite game 'Hunting Harry.' I was in a foul mood and wasn't willing to take any shite, oh um, sorry. Not going to take anymore beatings from him. You see, underage wizards aren't allowed to use magic outside of school until they are 17 and the Dursleys knew this. Dudley was very happy because he could do whatever he wanted and I couldn't hex him without being expelled from Hogwarts. So that night, I was at my limit with Dudley and his friends taunting me, when a sudden storm came. The air got horribly cold, even though it had been warm just a few seconds before and Dudley's friends ran off scared. We began running towards the house when the air got so cold that I could see my breath and I felt like I would never be cheerful again. This was when I realized a dementor somehow was there near us. The dementor went after Dudley and I saw it close to performing the kiss and I pulled out my wand and cast the patronus and sent it away."

"What happened, did you get expelled?" Asked Jasper.

"We quickly ran home and the Dursleys yelled and screamed at me for doing something to their shaking and mute son. As they did so a letter arrived saying the Ministry had detected my using magic and I was expelled from Hogwarts."

"But, it was going to kiss your cousin!" Said Emmett heatedly.

"The Ministry was just looking for any way to discredit me and this was perfect way to do it. Shortly after that I got a letter from Mr. Weasley saying Dumbledore had arranged a hearing to explain why I used magic. The next few weeks were excruciating, wondering if I would ever go back to Hogwarts. During this time, I was brought to an ancient house in London that looked like it had been there for centuries. The Weasleys were there, as well as Hermione and it seemed Sirius and Remus as well. I soon found out that it was Sirius' family house and it was also the headquarters of The Order of the Phoenix. The Order was a group formed by Dumbledore during the first war with Voldemort. My parents along with Remus, Sirius and many other witches and wizards, had been in it and now with Voldemort's return the Order was brought back together again."

"Soon my hearing arrived and I was brought to the Ministry for it. It seemed that the Ministry was trying their best to get me expelled and have my wand taken away. They had changed the time and place of the hearing forward and hadn't tried notifying us until after we had left for the hearing. We barely made it to the new room for the hearing and Dumbledore, having expected it, came early. The hearing was treated as if a full trial, all members of the Wizengamot there to judge me, instead of one. They tried to railroad the hearing, making accusations about me and disbelieving that a dementor had been there that night. Dementors were under the Ministry's command and were only at Azkaban prison, nowhere else. It was clear, if only to those who opened their eyes, that the dementors if under the Minsitry's command, were being controlled unofficially for whatever use. One judge, the Undersecretary for the Minster Delores Umbridge, was especially disbelieving and I would later find out she had sent the dementor to create just that situation to have me expelled. But, Dumbledore provided a witness who confirmed the dementor and they reluctantly let me return to Hogwarts."

They all gave a happy cry at the result of the hearing and Harry laughed and continued. "When I returned for my fifth year, it was to a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher as usual. The position was held by none other than Delores Umbridge. At the welcoming feast she gave a little speech and in it she talked about the Ministry's interest in bettering the curriculum and keep traditions, about getting rid of things that should be prohibited and such. Most of the students paid little attention, their eyes glazed over in boredom. But, Hermione paid close attention and when the speech ended she explained that the Ministry was trying to interfere at Hogwarts and Umbridge was the first wave."

"Why did Dumbledore allow her to teach there?" Asked Edward.

"The Ministry had a provision that incase a position at Hogwarts wasn't filled shortly before the beginning of term, the Ministry would send an approved instructor to fill the position. Umbridge was a woman who tried to pass off her prejudices and belief that she was better than some, by hiding it behind a sweetly simpering demeanor. She taught the Defense class by books alone. We read every single day of that year. We practiced no spells and were scoffed at for even asking why we were not allowed to practice the spells. She said the books would give us enough understanding behind the theory of the spells and if we ever needed to use them we should be able to if we absorbed enough. It seemed that the Ministry thought we were being taught spells we should not have been. Over the course of that year she quickly began gaining strength in Hogwarts and was pronounced High Inquisitor by the Ministry."

"What was that?" Rosalie questioned.

"She went around reviewing all the teachers and began systematically trying to remove the ones that she found lacking. Such as teachers who were not quite human, those with questionable backgrounds or allegiances to Dumbledore and those she thought hindered her goals. Ron and Hermione convinced me that we needed to teach ourselves Defensive spells if Umbridge was not going to. So we formed a group of students who got together to learn what we weren't being taught. The group chose me as the leader/teacher, as I had more experience with defensive spells. I didn't want the job, I felt others would be better at it, but I was made the leader anyways. So we began learning how to defend ourselves for the coming war."

"I can't believe they would be so stupid as to think not preparing you all would be a good idea." Jasper said. The soldier in him found the stupidity in the Ministry's actions astounding. "Idiots!"

"Yes, they were that. A Few months after the term started, Dumbledore had me begin taking lessons from Snape in Occulmency. He was worried about my connection to Voldemort, as I had begun having dreams about what Voldemort was doing. Occulmency is a form if magic meant to protect your mind from being invaded-"

"Is that why I only hear your thoughts every few words? It's broken, like the signal fading in and out…"

"Bloody Hell!!" Harry exclaimed as he jumped up from the couch and looked down at Edward. "You can read my thoughts?"

"Some vampires have gifts such as reading minds like Edward. He is very good most of the time about not invading people's privacy. As a human he was probably more observant than others and when he became a vampire it became mind reading. Jasper is an empath and is able to read and manipulate emotions." Carlisle said trying to ease Harry's worried mind.

"Did you calm me down earlier?" Harry asked Jasper. He had felt several times during the harder events in his life, a calming effect on him just after his nerves began to fray.

"Yes. I felt your pain and guilt and tried to help you through it…" Jasper answered.

"Oh."

"Alice also has a gift, she is a Seer." Carlisle continued.

"But I am only able to see a future after a decision has been made and the vision may change if those involved change their plans."

"Did you see me coming here?" Harry asked quietly.

Alice nodded and then said, "I had a vision of you coming and that you were Edward's mate. We know that you are involved in the war and you are important to it. We knew you were a wizard, but not really what that meant or any real understanding of your world."

"I have kept this family separated from that world. The prejudices in it for creatures like us are high and I placed the safety of this family above that. Since her vision we understood we would now be involved in that world, that war. Not because we were forced to, but because as Edward's mate you are now a part of this family. And we protect our family!" Carlisle stated firmly.

"We would very much like to give you that family you never had…" Said Esme softly as she stood up and wrapped her arm around Harry. "If you would allow us, Carlisle and I would like to adopt you and give you the Cullen name."

Harry stood there in wonder; he was finally going to have a family!

"I'd like that, but it will only be able to be done in the muggle world as the magical world doesn't know where I am right now."

"Good then, now why don't they know where you are? Won't they be worried?" Asked Carlisle.

"Um, it's all involved in what happened in my fifth, sixth and seventh year…"

"Sorry, continue, please." Carlisle replied.

"So where was I…?" Harry asked absently as he sat back down beside Edward, they clasped their hands together.

"You started learning Occlumency from that Snape guy." Emmett answered.

"Oh, right… Snape was very unhappy about teaching me and made that fact very known. I wasn't very happy either, since for the last four years or so, he had made my life hell. He saw me as the same spoiled obnoxious git as he had my father. The lessons didn't go very well and I learn nearly nothing. They abruptly ended when I saw a few memories of him and my father back during their school years. My father and his friends did not like Snape very much and he did not like them either. They both made complete asses of themselves and I ended up paying for it… After I saw the memories, he refused to teach me anymore and I hated him, so I was glad to end it. As the year progressed Umbridge kept a tighter leash on everyone at the school and after finding out about our little afterschool group she enacted a new rule at Hogwarts. All groups, teams, etc were to disband and only able to reform from approval from her. She and the Minister did not like us learning to fight… it seemed the Minister was worried Dumbledore was going to use the students as his own private army to take action against the Ministry."

"Was that what Dumbledore was doing?" Carlisle asked.

"No, he had been asked many times over the years to be Minister of Magic, but he found he could better achieve his goals outside of the Ministry's doors. When Umbridge enacted the new rule, we still continued to meet in private, not willing to stop for fear we wouldn't know enough when the war began. Someone in the group got scared, worried of expulsion if we were caught and told Umbridge where we were meeting. They came for us, her and a group of student called the Inquisitorial Squad, we all tried to escape and I was caught, they knew I was the leader. So Umbridge and the Minister questioned me on the group, Dumbledore stood on in silence until it came to light what the name of the group was…"

"What was the name?" Asked Jasper.

Harry smiled and said, "Well, we thought since they thought we were Dumbledore's private army, we might as well to call ourselves the D.A… Dumbledore's Army!"

They laughed when he said the name and Harry continued. "They tried to place the blame on me and get me expelled, but Dumbledore didn't want me to leave the school as I had more to learn. He said it was he who started the group; it was called Dumbledore's Army, not Potter's Army after all. The Minister accused him of treason against the Ministry and wanted to arrest him. Dumbledore left the school in a big dramatic flash and he was gone. Umbridge took over officially and the school was even more oppressive. Then one night I had a dream about Sirius being captured by Voldemort and tortured. I tried to find him and make sure he was alright. When I tried to find him at his home, I was lied to by his house elf and told he went out, to the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries. The elf, who hated Sirius, laughed and said his master wouldn't be returning from there…"

Harry could see it all in his head, wishing he had known what he knew now. Ginny would still be alive if he had… "So Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Ginny and I left the school, going to go rescue Sirius. Before, in a last ditch effort I told Snape that Sirius was captured, but he ignored my warning and walked away. I knew, even though he didn't like me, that he was a part of the Order and could let them know what was happening. When we arrived at the Ministry we searched for Sirius and found ourselves in the Hall of Prophesies. There were thousands of little orbs that held prophesies in them. One had my name on it and I wondered what it was. It seemed the Death Eaters were after it for Voldemort, but only the person the prophesy was about could activate it. Soon were soon surrounded by Death Eaters. In the fight the prophesy was destroyed. We fought and held our own against them, everyone got hurt and we tried to get out alive. That was when the Order arrived and Sirius with them… Voldemort had laid a trap to get me there and in that night one of my friends died…"

He had been so worried for Sirius and his friends, they fought so hard, but there were so many Death Eaters. He quietly continued, "Ginny and Hermione were fighting a Death Eater together, hexes and curses were flying all around. While I was fighting I heard a scream and watched as Ginny was crucio'd. She fell to the ground in pain and another Death Eater sent a killing curse at her. The green light flew from his wand and hit her in the chest and she was gone…"

Harry felt the tears that were near bursting from his eyes, pain seized his chest and guilt flooded him. "…the fight went on, no one even had the chance to do anything about Ginny, we were all too busy fighting to stay alive. Then Voldemort arrived and he came for me… he tried to kill me, but Dumbledore came and fought him. It was a battle on a scale I had never seen and I realized I wasn't ready to fight him; I wasn't prepared enough to finish the war. Then it seemed like Voldemort was gone, he had vanished after Dumbledore won against an attack by Voldemort. I thought for a moment, he might actually be dead, finally it would be over. And the Dumbledore yelled for me to stay down and then my scar began to throb horribly and I found myself and Voldemort locked together, one mind one body. He had possessed me and told Dumbledore to kill me, in my own voice, I could control it. For a moment I was ready to let him kill us, I was ready to die if Voldemort went with me. I would finally see my parents and the pain in my life and those around me would end. I felt happy it was finally over and then Voldemort seemed to recoil in my mind. He couldn't bare the emotion if felt, the happiness I felt even if it was about dying, was unbearable to him and he left me. Voldemort left, seeking to live and fight another day. The battle was over and all of us were hurt and Ginny dead. Afterwards, when the fight was over and everyone began to understand that she was dead; the Weasley's blamed me for her death. They felt I was the only reason she was no longer alive; I had been a danger to them since that day years ago when they met me…

"How could they do that? You had no control over what happened!" Said Esme fiercely.

Edward had become tense beside Harry and his hand gripped Harry's tightly. "What did they do?"

"They and the Ministry tried to blame me for her death, saying my reckless actions led to it. They claimed I was unstable and shouldn't be allowed to be free, that I was a danger to everyone around me. Dumbledore interceded for me again, keeping everyone at bay. He made it clear how much he had to go through to keep me from being taken by the Ministry. He then told me about the prophesy, as he was the one the prophesy had been made to. He was the only one who knew what it said. He told exactly what my roll was in the war and what was expected of me; and that I was not to destroy everything he had accomplished to win the war. It was hard for me to hear it; I had spent the last five years thinking of him as my mentor, my friend. He had been kind and welcoming when I knew nothing about that world. He did this in a kind grandfatherly way, but it was clear what he wanted. He was doing this for the greater good and he would do anything he had to to win the war, even if my life was the thing that tipped the balance. I was a weapon and nothing more."

"I can't believe he would do that!" Exclaimed Emmett.

"It was war and he meant to win at any cost… it was as simple as that." Harry said flatly, the anger he had felt at the old man had raged for so long and he had finally come to the decision that he wouldn't allow that rage to consume him anymore. "Whether he controlled those events or not, my roll was exactly what he expected and I couldn't change that. I was the only one who could end it all and I finally accepted that."

The silence in the room felt deafening; Harry knew they were all thinking the same thing. "No matter my age or experience, I am the only one who is able to end this and kill Voldemort."

"You won't be alone, you'll have us!" Said Edward strongly, the rest of his family nodding vigorously.

"Thank you, that means a lot…" Harry said quietly. "The public all through the year had been divided on who to believe, but with Ginny's death the scales tipped. I became an outcast, no one wanted to be near me, fearing that they would end up just like Ginny, like Cedric. The only ones who stayed by me were Sirius, Remus, Neville and Luna. They kept me sane when the world turned against me. Hermione for a time stayed with me, but the strain of the trying to not pick sides was too much, she soon gave in and stopped being my friend. It was hard, Ron and Hermione had been my best friends for so long and it was difficult for me to get used to them no longer being there, but I did… and that was the end of my fifth year."

A/N: I am working on part three and hope to have it out soon. This will be the last of the Getting to Know You chapters and then the story will pick up a bit more once that happens… I hope you enjoyed it!!!

~Caprilyeous~


	6. Getting to Know You Part 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or Twilight, nor the characters within the stories. I do not make any profit from these writings.  
**Rating:** PG-13

**Chapter 6: Getting to Know You – Part 3**

"The summer before my sixth year was both difficult and freeing. I spent half of it alone at the Dursleys, the other half at Order Headquarters. I was used to getting letters and visiting Ron, Hermione and the Weasley's, at least towards the end of the summer. Such a major part of my life was gone and I was dealing with my own guilt for what happened to Ginny. I felt like if I had been less impulsive or done things differently she would have still been alive. To add to this I was faced with the wizarding world against me. I was no longer their golden boy, not that I minded that part, but it was hard to not be hurt by so many people saying I was unstable or dangerous. The Weasley's in their anger were not quiet about how they felt about me and that hurt even more. However, what helped me get through were my friends who stuck by me and my godfathers. They helped me stay strong and I was happy that I had some who knew me enough to have faith in me that much."

Harry smiled thinking about the events that happened during his sixth year, some were hard and others were so easy to accept; once Draco and he got past their mutual hatred of each other.

"I never told Sirius and Remus about the conversation with Dumbledore after the battle, except the prophesy. I knew they would feel guilt for not being there to help me when Dumbledore manipulated my life for his own goals. I knew that if they ever found out that they might confront Dumbledore and I was worried about the outcome of that conversation. Sirius was an escaped convict and Remus was a werewolf, Dumbledore could make their lives hell if he chose. After that night in the Ministry, I talked to Remus and Sirius, telling them I needed more training. I wasn't ready to fight Voldemort and told them so. So they, Dumbledore and Snape began training me in advance magic. Since then, I have learned advance defensive magic, charms, transfiguration and Occulmency. I was able to learn a great deal from everything, but Occulmency, as Snape was my teacher again. Snape made the lessons as trying as the last ones; I learned to partly shield my mind, but not fully."

"You'd think that would be a priority with what happened the last year." Emmett stated.

"I tried, but he had no patience for teaching me and it showed. Dumbledore also began meeting with me and taught me about horcruxes and how Voldemort had begun using them to attain immortality. We researched possible items that Voldemort would use for horcruxes and where they might be. It was a long and tedious task and still to this day is not finished. He obtained information that Voldemort had seven horcruxes, so we knew at least how many we needed to destroy. Three had already been destroyed; the diary from second year and a ring that Dumbledore destroyed in the summer between fifth and sixth year. There was one more we found that year or so we thought. Dumbledore and I went to a cave located on the coast that was near the orphanage Voldemort grew up at. We found a locket there, but it seemed someone else had taken the real one and replaced it with a fake."

"Why would the person do that?" asked Emmett.

"The person, who went by the initials R.A.B., had been a Death Eater in the first war and had wanted out. He knew that he wasn't going to be allowed to live once he deserted Voldemort, so he took revenge for his future death. He took the real locket and had meant to destroy it, but he was killed before he could do so and the locket disappeared. We later found it of all places, in Sirius' family house and destroyed it. It turned out R.A.B. had been Sirius' younger brother Regulus." Harry said with a sad smile. "Sirius' family, who were purebloods, were strict blood purists and he was the first in a long line to not believe he was better than others just because of his supposed magical purity."

Harry then frowned and spoke again. "Just before the new term of school started Draco Malfoy was brought before Voldemort. During the battle at the Ministry his father was captured by Aurors and was sent to Azkaban prison. Voldemort was very displeased with Lucius and told Draco he needed to prove his family's loyalty to Voldemort. He told Draco to do this, he must find a way to get Death Eaters into the school and kill Dumbledore."

"Did he? Not that I would feel sorry for the man, after the way he had manipulated your life!" Jasper said.

"No. Draco was given until the end of the school year to do it and for the first few months of the term, he gave half attempts to kill Dumbledore. He was a obnoxious git, with warped values that he had been taught since birth, but he wasn't a murderer and he couldn't do it. He finally went to Dumbledore for help and Draco was offered safety from Voldemort. Within a few months Voldemort knew he had switched sides and another student was picked to complete the task. Draco was ostracized from the other Slytherins, his school house, as that house was mainly made up of children of Death Eaters or supporters of Voldemort. The others houses, after years of Draco's mistreatment of them, ignored him as well. He was an outcast like me and oddly we began to become friends. It was odd, after years of mutual hatred of each other; we found we got along fairly well once Draco accepted that he was not and never wanted to be his father."

"You became friends? After how he and his family treated you?" Asked Rosalie in surprise.

"Yeah. He had been trained from a very young age to be cold, to bottle up his emotions, to think he was better than others. His father hadn't been a loving man, nor his mother, he was raised to be a follower of Voldemort and his beliefs. Draco once told me that the harder he tried to defy his father and think for himself, the more his father beat him down. He was taught dark arts from an early age and his father used the beat him and used the cruciatus curse on him to bend him into his father's will. Draco realized that it was easier to give in than to fight him. So, when he was faced with finally having to truly become his father; a murderer and a Death Eater, he couldn't do it. When he made that choice, he was finally free to think for himself and make friends with those he chose to. Once that happened, it was easy to be friends with him; he became a brother in so many ways. Oh, he was still the same sarcastic git to me and we still sniped back and forth, but it was done teasingly and without malice."

They looked disbelieving and Harry laughed. "He really had changed and he, Neville, Luna and I became close friends. We helped each other survive that year, surrounded by people who either hated us, feared us or in Neville and Luna's case; the other students just didn't understand them."

"What happened with the other student who replaced Draco?" Asked Edward.

"Theodore Nott was a Slytherin and a son of a Death Eater. He took over the task and used Draco's beginning idea of using two vanishing cabinets to achieve it. One was forgotten and left in a room in Hogwarts; it had been broken for years and no one paid attention to it. The other was in a shop in Diagon Alley that catered to the dark arts. The cabinets were used to transport a person from one place to another, even within strong magical wards placed on Hogwarts. It took several months, but he fixed the broken one and made plans to kill Dumbledore. Then a few days before the end of the school year, it was done and the battle began. The Death Eaters came in the night, while many were asleep in their beds. The Order was notified as soon as the fighting began and soon they came, helping to defend Hogwarts. The older students, teachers and the Order fought against the Death Eaters and we had many hurt. One of Voldemort's follower's who broke in that night was a blood thirsty werewolf who took delight in killing children."

Esme gasped in horror and the rest stared in outrage that someone would attack defenseless children like that.

"Greyback attacked many children that night and several adults. Because it wasn't a full moon they weren't fully infected with the virus, but they had wounds that would not heal properly and some characteristics of the werewolf."

"The plan to kill Dumbledore failed." Harry said with a blank face. He did not wish the wizard dead, but he would not have mourned his loss either. "Nott tried, but he was no match for the older wizard. Many other death Eaters tried as well and severely wounded Dumbledore, but he survived. After a long fight, the Death Eaters were either captured, killed or fled, but we held Hogwarts in the end. A few days later the year was over and I returned to the Dursleys."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"My summer before the beginning of my seventh year, I spent mostly at the Dursleys, as usual. Every once in a while Dumbledore would come to take me searching for Horcruxes and all, but one were false trails. The fourth horcrux was a cup owned by Helga Hufflepuff, one of the founders of Hogwarts. It was located in the vault of Bellatrix Lestrange, a fierce follower of Voldemort, in Gringotts Bank. The goblins that ran it were notorious for their security. The vaults were located deep underground in maze like tunnels that were built to be as confusing as possible and guarded by dragons. Dumbledore, several Order members and I broke into Gringotts and after several hours of searching and battling the dragons, we retrieved the cup and destroyed it."

"Man, your life is like one big adventure!" Emmett said loudly, a smile on his face.

"Sometimes, even after everything I have seen and done, it still seems like a dream or nightmare, depending upon the memory. When I was younger, I would never have imagined my life turning out this way." Harry said with a smile. "On September first, just like the last six years, I boarded the train for Hogwarts and all the other students. We were about halfway there when there was a great explosion and the train flew off the tracks. When the train finally stop moving, everyone began to check each other over. Several were dead and many injured. We thought at first it was just an accident, but several minutes after the explosion, we heard screams coming from the back of the train. Then Death Eaters seemed to swarm in and curses and hexes started firing. Many were taken by surprise and were killed before they were able to even get their wands out. The Death Eaters were making their way towards me, but the odd thing was once they got to me, they didn't try to kill me like they usually did. They were trying to capture me. Draco, Neville, Luna and I fought against them as they tried to take me. Then many pops filled the air as Aurors and Order members arrived to fight the Death Eaters. When they arrived, the Death Eaters began to be overtaken and soon the left or were killed in the fight."

"When it was over and we counted the dead, thirty-three students were dead and nearly all those who survived were injured in some way. Those that were severely injured were taken to St. Mungo's, the wizarding hospital and the rest were portkeyed to Hogwarts. For several weeks, classes were postponed as the Ministry and the school board tried to decide if the school should be closed. The danger of more attacks seemed high. However, they decided to keep the school open as the danger of attack was high everywhere. Voldemort, since the end of Fifth year, had stepped up his plans to rid the magical world of those inferior. Attacks were happening all over, in both the wizarding and muggle world and the Ministry was scrambling to protect the public. So, a month after the attack, school started. Things were tense there, it seemed like every day more were dying and the papers began listing the dead from the previous day. The staff tried to make everything as normal as possible, we still had homework, there was still quiddittch season to prepare for-"

"Wait a minute, what's quidditch?" Asked Emmett with a frown.

"Oh, I can't believe I never said anything about quidditch! It is a big sport in the wizarding world. It is played on brooms. There are three rings on either end of the field and three balls played with. A quaffle is used to score points, a bludger is a ball that flies around trying to knock people off their brooms and a snitch, a little tiny fast ball that flies around and if caught the game is over and the team to catch it gets 150 points. The players, three chasers who score the points, two beaters who have bats and protect their team from the bludger, a keeper who keeps the other team from scoring and a seeker who searches for the snitch. I was the seeker all seven years at Hogwarts and in sixth year I was the captain of the team. The game can be really hard and the longest ever game went on for six months and was finally called to an end when the snitch hadn't been seen for weeks."

"It lasted for six months?!" exclaimed Jasper.

"Yeah, but that was professional game and those can often be for days or weeks on end." Harry answered with a nod. "So anyway, we were getting ready for the new season one day and Ron as team captain was as usual, misusing his power and berating me for some made up offense. Our relationship since Ginny's death consisted of him either ignoring me or picking fights with me. While he was doing this no one was paying attention to anything else and from the Forbidden forest nearby a hex came flying out. The hex hit one of the players and cut several large gashes into his chest and he screamed falling to the ground. Within a matter of seconds he had bled out and died. Then Death Eaters began coming out of the forest attacking everyone around. I sent a message to the Order to get there quick and we hid for cover and hexes began flying back and forth. The Order soon arrived and it went on for a while. Then a Death Eater found a hole in our defense and made it unseen to where we were covered. He sent a killing curse at me and as it came towards me I knew I was going to die; I hadn't seen it before it was too late. However, a flash of silver light came and a shield was placed around me like a bubble and the curse rebounded off the shield and back to the Death Eater; killing him."

Harry stopped for a moment as he knew the next part was big and revolved around the Cullens. "We all stared at the shield wondering who cast it and what exactly it was. It was something none of us had ever seen before. Dumbledore and Sirius tried to see if they could breach it; as neither I, nor anyone else had cast it. Their hands were shocked when they touched it and on my end it was like a solid wall, impenetrable. Another flash of silver light came and a woman was in its place. She was tall with white blonde hair and an ethereal look about her. She said hello to me and knew my name. I asked her who she was and she told me her name was Illyantia and she was The Guardian of Lost Souls. She said I called to her when the curse was coming towards me and that I had lost my way in the world. That I hadn't fulfilled all I needed to before I died and that she was there to set me back on the right path."

He smiled as he thought about how she had yelled at Dumbledore when he had spoken. "She yelled at Dumbledore when he asked how she was going to do that and told him she knew what he had done and she had done and seen more than he could possibly imagine. I asked her what she meant and she told me about the prophesy and that Dumbledore hadn't given me the whole thing. He had only told me what was necessary and nothing more. He had intervened when I was eight years old after my uncle had severely beaten me. What should have happened didn't because he changed the outcome."

"What part of the prophesy didn't he tell you?" Asked Carlisle softly, having an idea where this was leading.

"There were two verses to the prophesy and he only told me one…" Harry said quietly, almost afraid to speak. What if they rejected him? What if they heard the rest and decided he wasn't worth the trouble?

"That will never happen!" Edward said sharply and pulled Harry to him. Cupping Harry's face in his hands, he looked into Harry's vivid emerald eyes and spoke. "You are my mate and I will never leave you! Neither will they!"

"Whatever it is, we will stand beside you, you are family and we would never leave you!" Esme said fiercely, trying to make the broken child in front of her see they would always be there for him. That he wouldn't be alone anymore.

Harry closed his eyes and spoke.

_"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches … He shall be taken in by the dead, delivered from a life of pain … And he will find his soul's mate, seven times his power will increase … And they that walk of the living dead have travelled for one hundred years, they return to land of Quileute … And he shall be marked by one of their own, but he will not turn … The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches."_

They were all quiet for a moment and then Carlisle spoke. "When you were eight what happened?"

"My uncle caught me stealing food from the kitchen… they hadn't fed me for four days and I was starving. He then beat me so much that, I knew he was going to kill me that time. He broke both my arms, a leg, my nose and there were so many cuts and bruises. I was screaming and my aunt and cousin just stood by and watched. It seemed to last for a long time, but probably was only about ten or fifteen minutes. The neighbors heard and called the police. Two officers broke in and then everything went black. When I woke up I was healed and the only thing the Dursleys told me was that I was spared, that time at least."

Edward sat holding Harry tightly to him, seething with anger. Those people needed to be killed for what they had done to his mate! For that night and for all the rest Harry hadn't mentioned. He could hear Jasper speaking to him in his mind, that Harry was filled with a lot of pain and despair from what happened that night. He wanted to take the pain from him, letting Harry be free from the scars the events had left upon him.

"Illyantia told me Dumbledore obliviated the memories of the police and the neighbors and had me healed. He knew that the events would have led to the second part of the prophesy fulfilling itself and he wouldn't allow it. He wanted me bent and broken, easily pliable to his will and he knew the Dursleys treatment would achieve that. I would be starved for any king of kindness and he was right. His treatment of me once I found out I was a wizard ensured that. He gave me kindness and affection, showing me a world that freed me from the Dursleys for most of the year. He knew that if the prophesy was fulfilled that I would be taken away from the Dursleys and I wouldn't be under his thumb anymore and he couldn't have that."

The bitterness Harry felt came up like bile in his throat and Harry nearly shook with his anger. He felt waves of calmness flow over him and smiled gratefully at Jasper.

"We were in England in 1988 and I spent several months at a hospital working. If things had happened differently, we would have found you much sooner. I probably would have treated you and it would have developed naturally from there." Carlilse said.

"Yeah, Illyantia said you would have treated me as you were the best doctor to help me. You and Esme would have… adopted me and I would have met Edward then." Harry stated.

"What does it mean about your power increasing seven times?" Jasper asked.

"I'm not sure. I have thought about it and maybe it is not talking about my magic, but about strength. There are seven of you… maybe it means with you by my side my power or strength will increase seven times more than it had been." Harry answered.

"What about the part that you will be marked by one of us, but won't turn?" Asked Edward. The thought of his mate becoming a monster like him, being cursed to living with the thirst to take human life didn't sit well with him. He didn't want Harry to have more scars on his battered soul.

"I don't know… your guess is as good as mine." Harry replied.

"So Illyantia, she brought you here?" Asked Emmett.

"She said she couldn't take me back to when it all changed, but she could bring me here and I would meet you all." Harry answered. "I said yes and then told Remus and Sirius goodbye. Then Draco, but I wasn't able to say goodbye to Neville or Luna, they hadn't been there during the fight. Then she brought me here."

They sat quietly thinking about all Harry had told them and then Carlisle spoke. "Harry, thank you for trusting us enough to tell your story. We are very honored to have you as a new member of our family."

They all nodded in agreement and Harry blushed in embarrassment, but said "Thank you."

"There is only a few hours before you all need to be at school, so Edward why don't you take Harry home so he can get a few hours of sleep and get ready for the day." Esme said softly and then sat up to give Harry a hug. "Thank you, for telling us. I am so happy that we were chosen to be your family…"

She placed a kiss on Harry's forehead and backed away. Jasper and Alice came up to Harry next.

"We're going to be such good friends, Harry. I can see it!" Alice said sweetly and then pounced on Harry, hugging him in a tight hug.

"If you want to talk, about anything, I will be here." Jasper said with a knowing look and shook Harry's hand. Harry wondered about Jasper and what he had been through to put such a look in his eyes. It was the same war weary look that Harry had had for years.

"You're going to have to show us some more magic; it is awesome, little brother!" Emmett said loudly as he wrapped a large muscled arm around Harry's much smaller and shorter shoulders.

Harry laughed and said, "Sure." Emmett calling him 'little brother' sent a thrill threw him and the smile on his face was nearly blinding.

Beside Emmett stood Rosalie, who during the story had slowly begun to relax more around the young wizard. The events of Harry's life had shaken her and Harry had changed in her eyes. Before he had been an outsider, a threat to her and her family… now, he was a broken battered child who somehow found the strength to keep going and she respected him for it. She gladly welcomed him into her family. The protective feeling that engulfed her on Harry's behalf was frightening in its intensity. Her anger and rage for the hurt her 'brother' had endured made her want to go over to England and burn it to the ground. The fact that so many in his life had failed him and betrayed him, made her furious. Harry was special, sweet… he was broken and had seen many horrible things, but still held a childlike innocence… how could they not have seen that?

"Thank you, Harry." She said quietly and hugged him.

Harry was surprised by Rosalie, but welcomed the hug. He was glad that they all accepted him into their family.

After Carlisle and Esme got more information about Harry for the adoption, Edward and Harry said goodbye and left. The ride to Harry's house was quiet, both thinking about what was to come. When they arrived, Harry grabbed Edward's hand and pulled him wordlessly through the house and up to his bedroom. Once in the bedroom Harry turned around to Edward.

"Will you lay with me for a while? We don't have to do anything, but I just want to be near you…" Harry murmured. He spoke so low that Edward's vampire hearing was the only thing that allowed him to catch the words.

"I want to be near you too." Edward answered.

They both removed their shoes and climbed onto the bed. After Harry set his alarm for school he found himself pulled into Edward's arms. Harry felt Edward pull him back against Edward's chest and wrapping an arm around his waist. He placed a hand on top of Edward's that rested on his lower stomach and threaded their fingers together. From behind Harry, Edward nuzzled his neck and placed a few light kisses on the nape of Harry's neck and then pressed his face into Harry's hair, breathing in the scent of his mate.

They laid there spooning and Harry had never felt more safe or loved than at that moment. Their bodies fit together perfectly; they seemed to be made for one another. The events of the day filtered through Harry's mind and he was amazed that he now had a family. They had accepted him so readily and welcomed him as Edward's mate. He was thankful that he now had them in his life.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

The alarm went off three hours later and Harry turned it off in annoyance. The few hours sleep hadn't seemed, but more than a few minutes to Harry and he was tired. Then from a movement behind him he remembered who was with him and what happened the night before and a grin overtook his face.

"What are you smiling about?" Edward said from behind him.

Harry turned in Edward's arms and lay facing the vampire.

"I just remembered what happened last night and that you were here with me…" Harry answered in a whisper and then nuzzled his face into the crook of Edward's neck.

"I will always be here with you, Harry." Edward said.

Harry moved to look into Edward's eyes and was caught by the brilliant amber orbs. He felt his heart speed up and his breath catch, Edward was so gorgeous… He leaned in and pressed his lips to Edward's, experiencing his first kiss.

Their mouths pressed together and Harry gasped in shock at the pleasure it invoked. Edward nipped Harry's bottom lip and then used his tongue to sooth the slight sting of the bite. He then swept his tongue into Harry's mouth, sliding it against Harry's tasting the sweet flavor of Harry. Hesitantly Harry followed the movements of his mate's tongue, their tongues intertwining in a dance filled with lust and longing.

Harry wrapped his arms around Edward's neck, pulling their bodies as closer together as possible. He carded his fingers through Edward's soft dark locks and mewed in pleasure. Edward growled and pushed Harry onto his back, hovering over the smaller wizard. Edward broke free of the kiss and began biting and nipping his way down Harry's jaw line to his throat. He breathed in the scent of his mate, but the bloodlust that would usually appear at the closeness of a living human, didn't come. His blood didn't call to him and Edward was thankful for that. The fear of being a threat to his own mate would have destroyed him.

Harry groaned in the bliss that Edward was creating in Harry's body, but soon the kiss ended and Edward pulled back slightly. Looking into Harry's emerald eyes he spoke.

"I don't want to push you to take it farther than you want, so I will wait until you're ready to take this further." Edward said patiently and placing a final kiss on Harry's cupid's bow mouth, he unwrapped himself from Harry's arms and stood.

Harry was both disappointed and relieved at Edward's words. He had loved what they were doing and had wanted keep kissing Edward forever. However, he knew he wasn't ready to go any further quite yet. Up until a week ago he hadn't really given much thought to sex and now he had a mate and a bond pulling him towards it. He was excited to experience it, but not quite yet.

"Thank you, Edward." Harry said and then stood up from the bed.

"I am going to do back home and get dressed for the day and then I will be back to pick you up for school." Edward stated and Harry nodded in acceptance. With one last kiss, he was gone.

Harry smiled and then showered and dressed for school. After he was done he walked down the stairs and found Edward sitting on the couch waiting for him to come down. Harry smiled and kissed him, then walked to the kitchen to grab a bowl of cereal and a banana for breakfast. Edward followed him into the kitchen as he prepared his breakfast. Instead of sitting at the kitchen table, Harry chose to hop up onto the counter and ate there.

"When are you supposed to return to England?"

"I don't know. Illyantia said I wouldn't be found until I was ready. She is keeping me hidden right now, so no one can find me, not even my friends or godfathers. Once I am ready to fight Voldemort, I will be found. Illyantia told me to be on guard, so I don't know if it will be Death Eaters or the Order who will find me." Harry replied as he finished his breakfast.

Edward move in front of Harry, sliding between his open legs and wrapped his arms around Harry's waist.

"We'll be ready for whoever comes." Edward stated.

Harry circles his arms around Edward's neck and kissed his mate. The kiss lasted a few minutes and then they both pulled back, Harry flushed and breathing heavily and Edward restraining himself from taking his mate then and there.

With a sigh, Harry pushed Edward away and jumped down from the counter and they left for school. During the ride they held hands and talked about random things. Arriving at school, they pulled into the parking lot as the rest of the Cullens did as well.

"Hey, little brothers" he said as he grinned at them.

"Hi, Emmett. " Harry returned.

Alice nearly floated over to air, her bubbly personality overflowing with glee. "Hi, Harry. Did you sleep well?"

Harry blushed and Alice laughed softly and then said, "It's nice having someone to keep you safe in their arms while you sleep, huh?"

Harry nodded and they all made their way to the school entrance. A dull roar of whispers preceded them as the other students noticed Harry and Edward holding hands. The school hand never had an openly gay student, let alone a gay couple and the news spread like fire.

Throughout the day, Harry was asked over and over if it was true. He found the questions and the rude staring annoying. Some of the students were overtly hostile toward him. He nearly got into a fight after Mike Newton called him 'queer.' However, he had made it clear to the boy that if he ever made a remark like that again, he would regret it.

When lunch arrived he tried to shield his mind from Edward, not wanting Edward to do something rash to the homophobic idiot he had a problem with. However, the more he did this, the more Edward seemed to know something was wrong. His eyes narrowed and he said "What happened?"

"Nothing." Harry said trying to evade the question. Then his concentration broke as Mike walked by and his mind automatically replayed the scene between second and third period, as he did this Edward growled low in his throat.

Edward filled with rage at someone treating his mate like that and slowly got up from the table and stalked over to Mike. He grabbed him roughly by the throat and brought his face to within an inch of the jock's one.

"If you ever call Harry that again, I will rip you apart, is that clear?" He said in deathly quiet voce, his teeth bared threateningly.

Newton nodded quickly in fear, his eyes round and he looked as if he was going to wet his pants. Edward pushed him away, causing the teen to fall from his seat and then he scrambled from the floor and ran from the cafeteria. Edward smirked evilly and then turned back towards his family. He then saw all of his siblings baring their teeth and growling softly as well. They heard what Edward had said and could imagine what happened. The way they reacted protectively towards Harry, made Edward grateful to have a family like his to care for his mate. Walking back to the table he saw his mate raise an eyebrow and scowl at him.

"I had that taken care of. He was well aware that if he ever called me anything like that again he would regret it. You don't need to protect me all the time; I am capable of doing that myself!" Harry said heatedly.

Edward sat down and wrapped an arm around Harry's waist and kissed his temple. "I know, but I couldn't help it."

"A vampire has an instinctual response to protect his mate when he feels his mate is threatened. It is a basic foundation of a mate bond and can't be ignored." Jasper told Harry.

"Oh. Well, I guess you are forgiven, but you need to understand I am more than competent at protecting myself. I have been doing it since I was very little." Harry said.

Nodding, Edward said, "I realize that, but I still would have done it anyway… he and the rest of the school needed to learn that I won't allow you to be treated like that."

Harry glared at Edward and tried to pull away, but the vampire kept a tight hold on Harry. Harry growled in annoyance, but didn't try to leave again. He was going to have to get used to how his mate was going to be very protective of him. If his pride wasn't hurt, he would have found his mate's protectiveness charming. However, after spending his entire life taking care of himself, he had a problem with someone else trying to defend him, even if Edward had looked completely hot while doing it.

* * *

**A/N:** Another chapter here for you guys, this is the end of the "Getting to Know You" chapters and the plot will pick up more, now that the whole "Harry tells his life story" part is over… If you enjoyed this chapter, review and make this author's day!!!


	7. Sleepless Nights

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or Twilight, nor it's characters… neither do I make profits from these writings.  
**Rating:** PG13  
**A/N:** So here is another chapter, hope you like… This is mostly filler and a little insight into the relationships between Harry and the Cullens. Please, make my day and review!

**Also, _**IMPORTANT **_, I made a change to the previous two chapters… Harry at the current moment is not going to be adopted by the Cullens… I went against my first instinct and wrote an adoption plotline and now I have decided to cut it… it doesn't feel right for the current timeline. So, again, Harry is _**not**_ going to be adopted by the Carlisle and Esme!

**Chapter 7: Sleepless Nights**

For the next month, Harry and the Cullens learned more about each other. Not surprising, Harry spent nearly every waking, and sleeping, moment with them. It seemed that now that all the secrets had been laid out on the table, they relationships flourished.

Alice and Harry found an odd little connection of inane subjects and childhood innocence that linked them… when Harry was with her, it seemed like the weight of the world that was so heavy on his shoulders was put aside for at least a little while and he was just like any other normal teenager. Not Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived or The Chosen One, he was Harry… just Harry.

When it came to Jasper, Harry and he had found a shared past as warriors, soldiers and brothers in arms. They spent hours talking about past battles, war games and strategy; they planned the actions and strategies for the coming war, insuring the protection of those they loved. Harry found a quiet peace when with the quiet vampire and found himself calm and collected after their talks.

Emmett was not a complicated man, or vampire as it was, and he as a fun loveable jokester, made Harry comfortable. It was as simple and uncomplicated as that.

The relationship between Rosalie and Harry was very opposite than the one Harry had with her mate. At times her cold and standoffish nature got on Harry's nerves and they fought like cats and dogs. They seemed to snipe and bicker back and forth. In the beginning the rest of the Cullens had tried breaking up the fights, but after a while it became so regular that they placed bets on who would win the current round. Other times it was oddly reminiscent of a mother/son relationship and she was fiercely protective of him. However, most often they found a balance as friends and Rosalie took it upon herself to school Harry is the art of fashion, since he was severely lacking.

With Carlisle, Harry found another father figure. He was someone to give him advice and guide him, to provide an outlet for his frustrations and worries. Many times Harry and Carlisle could be found talking late into the night in Carlisle's office, speaking about family, friends, Harry's hope and dreams, his worries about his destiny and what if he didn't survive the war, what if he wasn't strong enough to defeat Voldemort… Carlisle offered quiet strength and a shoulder to lean on.

Esme, of course, found a place in Harry's heart rather quickly. Her natural gift in offering love and affection and motherly concern was the clincher. Besides Mrs. Weasley, Harry had never had anything resembling a mother. As a child he had sat alone in his dark cupboard hearing as Petunia Dursley fused and pampered her spoiled bully of a son, wishing he had someone to do that to him. Not to spoiled him beyond repair, but to be there for him when he got home from school and offer a snack, to kiss his scrapes and bruises and make them better, to hold him in the middle of the night after a nightmare. When he looked at Esme and saw the love in her eyes, he felt at peace knowing that even though he was denied her as a child, he had finally found a place in her heart and she in his.

And then last, but certainly not least, was Edward. With Edward… well with Edward, Harry couldn't find the right words to describe it. Edward was like fresh gooey treacle tart or coming inside to a warm fireplace and hot chocolate after playing in the snow all day, or lying in the grass on a warm summer afternoon with your friends. He felt like home to Harry, as if he had been wandering for his entire life, trying to find his way home, to peace and comfort and love, but home wasn't a place, it was a person. He was everything Harry could want or need; the rightness of it was overwhelming and Harry felt undeserving of such a gift.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

About a month after the night he spent telling his life story, Harry found himself lying on his bed waiting for sleep to come. Harry sighed in annoyance as he tugged on a loose string on the aged t-shirt he wore to bed.

Most nights nowadays he spent with Edward, wrapped in his arms, his scent permeated in every fiber of his being. However, tonight that wasn't the case. Edward with Jasper, Emmett, Carlisle, Rosalie and Alice had gone hunting and wouldn't be back until the morning. So here he laid, in Edward's room waiting for sleep that seemed would never come.

In the beginning of their relationship Edward and Harry had tried to take things slow, to ease into their bond. However, more often than not they would find themselves reluctant to part at the end of the day. Most nights found the two curled up on the small chaise lounge in Edward's room, which was neither big enough nor comfortable enough for them to do so.

After two weeks of the same, Esme quietly pulled them aside and suggested with a motherly smile that they might prefer if Edward moved to a larger bedroom and purchased a bed for them.

"I know your relationship has not progressed quite that far yet" Esme said and chuckled when Harry blushed "however, the two of you are headed that way and might as well be comfortable as you move towards it."

Once they talked about it, the choice was clear and they purchased a large four poster bed with heavy curtains to block out the morning light. It was very similar to Harry's bed at Hogwarts, if a bit bigger, and made him instantly comfortable. Before long, Harry had unofficially moved into Edward's bedroom. Edward insisted it was their bedroom and Harry insisted it otherwise, as he still kept most of his things in the house Illyantia acquired for him, though secretly he smiled when Edward said it.

So, now here he lay unable to fall asleep without the soothing feeling of Edward's arms around him at night. It was amazing how in such a short time the lack of Edward's presence affected him.

With another sigh, Harry opened the drawer beside his side of the bed and pulled out the Zulian orb Illyantia had given him. Over the last few weeks he had spent countless hours watching and observing his friends and godfathers as well as some he no longer called friend. He had seen his godfathers continue to worry and search for him, while wondering what Harry's new family and mate were like. Sirius and Remus seemed not surprised at all that Harry's mate was a male. From what he had seen, they had had a suspicion that Harry might be gay. It seemed his obsession with Draco during sixth year had sparked it and even though they had become friends and nothing more.

As for Draco, Neville and Luna; they worried for him and tried their best to cope without one fourth of their close knit group. Without Harry there to pick on, Ron had switched to Draco, Neville and Luna even more than he had before. When Harry was still around, Ron had taunted them from afar or hexed them behind Harry's back; too afraid of Harry's protective nature and power. Now that he was gone he had full rein to do as he pleased and he took advantage of that. Ron having been there the day that Harry left, found it immensely funny that Harry had a male soul mate and teased his friends about it. And when Draco and Neville became a couple he used this as a means of mocking them as well. He was mean and nasty, taunting them with rude gestures and crude innuendos. Sadly, most of the teaching staff were either unaware of what was happening or couldn't care less.

Harry had been so angered by this that he had found it frustrating that he was half-way around the world and unable to beat his former best friend into a bloody pulp for the things he had said. It still amazed him that for five years Ron Weasley had been his best mate. During those times they had had their difficulties, like in fourth year and Ron becoming angry over Harry being in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Ron had been a complete prat and Harry had been hurt and angry his friend hadn't believed him, but they had worked it out.

However, now whenever he looked at his former friend he was disgusted at the small mindedness and prejudice in Ron, that he never paid attention too during their friendship. The lies and verbal abuse spouting from his lips made Harry furious and Hermione's disinterest in the abuse angered him just the same. He wasn't sure what enraged him more, Ron's all out war against his friends or Hermione's refusal to stand up for what she knew was right.

Harry was pulled from his thoughts as a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in." Harry said.

"Having trouble sleeping?" Esme asked with a concerned look. "You've been sighing for the last hour, tossing and turning… Is everything alright, dear?"

"Yeah, I just… it's funny not a month ago I was perfectly capable of sleep alone. Actually during the summers I loved it, after sleeping with four other boys that snore loudly during the school year, it was blissful to be alone. Now, I can't go one night without Edward here with me!" Harry said with a mixture of a frown and a smile.

"As mates, that is understandable… your bond is strong and getting stronger with each new day. When Carlisle came along I was in a very dark place and without hope. But, he held me and comforted me; now even though we do not need sleep, it is still nice to lay and hold each other from time to time." Esme stated. Her eyes sparkled brightly with love for her mate. "What is that?"

"Huh?" Asked Harry and then looking down he realized he still had the orb in his hands. "Oh, this is a Zulian orb; Illyantia gave it to me. It shows me what my friends and family are doing… Would you like to watch with me?"

"Oh, I would love too!" Esme relied excitedly, bouncing from foot to foot like a little girl. She quickly walked over and sat on the bed beside Harry. "This will show us your godfathers? I would love to see them, know what they are like… They are your family after all."

"Remus and Sirius? Okay, we can see what they are up to." Harry answered.

"So, how does it work?" Esme questioned.

"Well, all you have to do is touch it and I will take care of the rest. It reads my thoughts, showing me the things I want or need to see." Harry answered as he sat up and leaned against the headboard, Esme following suit.

Esme placed a hand on the orb next to Harry's and then he closed his eyes and thought of Sirius and Remus. Then Harry felt a familiar tug and the next moment he found himself lying on the floor in the kitchen at Grimmauld Place, Esme laid beside him. Standing, he then offered her a hand up and looked around. The place was quiet; a single candle lit the dark room.

"This is the kitchen at Grimmauld Place; my godfather Sirius' family home. It's not exactly cheery, but it is very protected and has a spell that makes it unplottable." Harry stated and then seeing Esme confused frown he elaborated. "Unplottable means that no one who hasn't been told where this house is can find it. They could be standing two feet from the door and all they will see is a vacant lot."

"That's amazing! So just Sirius and Remus live here?" Esme asked as she looked around the dreary house. The kitchen was at least a little better than the rest of the house; it was the most lived in room of all.

"Well, only Sirius and Remus live here right now, but this is the headquarters for the Order, so a lot of people are usually running in and out of here…" Harry replied. Seeing that the room was empty and may stay that way, he led them up the stairs to the library.

The door was open and light spilled from inside. Smiling he walked inside and found a sight that was becoming less and less surprising as time went on. Remus sat on the couch, his arm around his mates shoulders, as Sirius leaned his body against Remus' and laid a hand on the stomach below, rubbing lightly. Severus Snape sat in a chair nearby and was speaking to his once childhood enemies.

"… he is growing ever more impatient for Potter to be found. The Dark Lord has sent scouts to every small European wizarding community and has found nothing. He is now broadening he search to include the North American continent now as well." Snape said civilly.

"Who are they?" Esme asked quietly.

"That's Snape, he has been updating my godfathers about Voldemort's search for me… and Remus is the tall sandy haired one and the dark haired man is Sirius." Harry said with a smile on his face.

"North America?" Sirius asked in shock. "You think he went that far away?"

"It is a possibility… The Dark Lord has strong alliances in most European countries and a fair amount in Asia as well. North America is ungoverned for the most part, when it comes to the magical community, it would be an intelligent place to hide." Snape answered.

"They are getting closer to finding you…" Esme said in dismay as she grabbed Harry's hand.

"Illyantia said I would stay hidden until the time was right, so it must be near time for me to go back." Harry murmured with a frown.

He knew he had obligations, a destiny, but he had thought that maybe he could have a little more time with Edward and his new family at least… He wasn't ready to go back. Going back meant the possibility that he wouldn't survive the war; that his time with them might be over soon for good.

Esme wrapped and arm around Harry and leaned into the hug.

"Well, you won't be going back alone; we will all be coming with you… you are family, Harry. And like Carlisle said, we protect our family!" Esme said quietly as she continued to hold Harry.

The two stayed there for a while, wrapped in each other's arms, quietly listening to the conversation of the three older wizards in the room. Snape continued to give a report on Voldemort's movements and activities. The three were pleasant and civil to one another and it was a sight to behold. Harry wondered exactly when this had started and why? He never would have thought this would happen… nearly thirty years of rivalry and hate was between them and it was no small thing to overcome.

"What is Dumbledore doing?" Sirius asked with a sneer on his face.

"He is very annoyed at having Potter taken out from under his thumb… he tries to make it seem as if it is concern for the boy, but whispers and rumors have spread through Hogwarts. I imagine my godson, Mr. Longbottom and Ms. Lovegood have had something to do with that… they have not taken Potter's leaving lying down. Since the headmaster's part in Potter's abusive childhood came to light, they openly defy Dumbledore's will now and he has not been kind in his treatment of them." Snape said with a sneer, his black eyes sparkling with pleasure. "As for the boy, Dumbledore has taken steps of his own to find Potter and has sent many of the Order, besides yourselves of course, to search for the boy. He has gone so far as to get the Ministry involved in the search-"

"The Ministry's crawling with Voldemort's followers!" Sirius exclaimed. He rolled his eyes when Snape flinched at the use of the Dark Lord's name.

"He is desperate and willing to take that risk. He wants Potter back under his control as quickly as possible. The more time he spends away from Dumbledore, the more likely he is to be less inclined to follow the old coot's orders. "

"The manipulative old bastard is unbelievable… he has no concern for Harry as long as Harry lives long enough to fulfill his part as his weapon in the war!" Sirius raged. Remus beside him tried to comfort his furious lover.

"Now that we are aware of what he has done and what he has planned, we will not let him use Harry anymore, Sirius. He will not harm Harry ever again!" Remus said fervently, his eyes dark and filled with anger, belying the calm outward appearance.

"I cannot believe what he has done… the things he has done to that boy. I do not like the boy, he is much too arrogant just like his father, but I despise what Dumbledore has done to Potter. He is a child!" Snape exclaimed. His body was tense and coiled tightly, his anger boiling beneath the surface. "To think that I allowed him to do so under my nose the entire time… I was blind to his manipulation; he fostered the hatred I had for the boy, slipping casual reminders of James Potter and his son's arrogant nature into our conversations. He wanted me to hate the boy; he wanted just another thing to break Potter's spirit a little more!"

The room was quiet for a few moments, all five people lost in their own thoughts. Harry stared at his old Potion's professor and was gobsmacked. If he didn't know better he would have actually thought he heard remorse in the man's voice. More likely he was just annoyed at having been manipulated so completely without his knowledge. Harry knew that Snape's hatred of his father wasn't wholly unjustified; James Potter had been a right git to the snarky potions master.

In fifth year, after having seen the childhood memories of the older wizard being taunted and pranked by Harry's father, Harry had had his opinion of James Potter tested. Since he had entered the wizarding world he had always heard how remarkable his father was, how kind and loving, how he had be a great friend, husband, father, etc. He was never told of the flaws that every person has; the childish rivalries and prejudice of any Slytherin student, Snape especially. Harry had questioned all he knew about his father.

Sirius had of course set him straight, saying that they all had acted stupid and childish, letting their own fears and intolerance for those that were different than them cloud their judgment. James Potter had not been perfect, he had been a bit of a bully in his younger years, but he had come to regret those things. He had tried to set a better example for Harry before he had died and that was what Harry should focus on.

Now, as he heard Snape talking about Dumbledore's exploitation and abuse of Harry, he knew that somehow he couldn't hate Snape anymore… the older wizard's life had been filled with just as much pain and suffering as Harry's had. He knew that Snape had had a troubled childhood, with a father who was abusive and a mother who died while he was still younger. He had made the mistake of his lifetime reporting the prophecy to Voldemort and in so doing had been punished for the past sixteen odd years for that.

"If I ever meet this Dumbledore, I will rip him to pieces!" Esme hissed as she held Harry closer to her.

"It's alright Esme, he isn't controlling me anymore… I know exactly what he is doing and have since the end of my fifth year. I will play his part as the weapon, but I will do it on my own terms." Harry stated quietly, his voice had a hard edge to it he rarely used.

With a final look at the three quiet men in the room, he willed the vision to end and with a tug he felt his body, along with Esme's, drop onto the bed once again. They laid there for a few minutes quiet and then Esme stood up and looked down at Harry.

"Honey, do you think you can sleep now?" She said with a concerned look on her face. "That might not have helped as much as you hoped… we'll have to speak to the family when they get back. We all need to be ready for when they come, as it might be fairly soon."

Harry nodded and then said, "Looks like it… I don't want to be ready to go back to the war, but I think I am; now that I have you all…"

"Okay, sweetheart. Try to sleep and we will all talk about this in the morning!" Esme said softly and then leaned down and lightly placed a kiss on Harry's forehead.

"Night, Esme." Harry murmured as she turned off the light and started to close the door. "Thank you… for keeping me company."

"Harry it was my pleasure, and besides, I am happy to know a little bit more about the people who you love and love you." Esme said with a smile and then as she began to close the door said, "Sweet dreams, Harry."

* * *

**A/N:** Okay so there it is… I know this was quite a bit shorter than the last few chapters, but I wanted you all to have a little something. I hope it was enjoyable! Well the next chapter may not be out for at least a few weeks, my brother is going to be on leave from the Army and will be staying with me for the next month until he goes back to Iraq. So I will be busy visiting with him- haven't seen him in two years… he's been over there since forever, it feels like! So keep in mind, the next chapter is coming, it just may take a while… Thanks to all my readers!

~Caprilyeous~


End file.
